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62d Congress, ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, j Document 
1st Sessioii. X I N T o. 39. 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



LETTER 

FROM 




THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, 

TRANSMITTING, 

BY DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT, ORDERS AND REGULATIONS 
OF THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT TOUCHING USE, APPROPRIA- 
TION, OR DISPOSITION FOR IRRIGATION OF THE WATERS OF 
THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES IN COLORADO AND 
NEW MEXICO. 



April 29, 1911. — Referred to the Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands and 

ordered to be printed. 



U . 5 j Department or the Interior, 

Washington, April 2?\ 1911. 

Sir: By direction of the President, and responsive to House reso- 
lution 944, Sixty-first Congress, third session, I have the honor to 
submit herewith copies of orders and regulations in the Interior 
Department and its bureaus touching the use, appropriation, or dis- 
position for irrigation of the waters of the Rio Grande and its trib- 
utaries in Colorado and New Mexico, the Rio Grande reclamation 
project, together with a list of applications for rights of way. in- 
volving the waters of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, initiated 
or acted upon by this department since the passage of the reclama- 
tion act. 

Very respectfully, Walter L. Fisher, 

Secretary. 

The Speaker of the House of Representatives. 



Department of the Interior, 
United States Reclamation Service, 

Washington, D. C, April 22, 1911. 

The Secretary of the Interior. 

Sir: In accordance with instructions of March 6, there arc trans- 
mitted herewith certain data relating to the water of the Rio Grande. 
This material has been brought together in accordance with the reso- 



b"4 / 



2 WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

lution of the House of Representatives of March 2. 1911, which in 
substance directs that they be furnished, if not incompatible with 
public interests : 

A. Copies of all Executive or department orders and regulations in the posses- 
sion of the Interior Department and its bureaus touching upon the use, appro- 
priation, application, or disposition for irrigation of the waters of the Rio 
Grande and its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico. 

B. The Engle reclamation project and lands to be reclaimed thereunder. 

C. The negotiations with the Republic of Mexico concerning said waters. 

D. Together with a list or statement of all private irrigation or reservoir 
projects,' initiated or attempted to be initiated from the waters of said river and 
its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico, above said Engle project, or acted 
upon by said department since the passage of the reclamation act and the 
disposition of the same. 

Upon the receipt o£ these instructions request was made that the 
bureaus concerned bring together the desired facts, and correspond- 
ence was also initiated with other departments in cases where the 
files of this department were incomplete on the subject. As a result 
of this investigation and correspondence, the accompanying papers 
included in Exhibits A, B, C, and D are presented. 
Very respectfully, 

F. H. Newell, Director. 



EXHIBITS. 

Exhibit A. — Copies of Executive or Department Orders, etc. 

The following copies have been furnished by the Commissioner of the Gen- 
eral Land Office : 

1. December 5, 1896, order of Secretary Francis. 

2. December 18, 1896, reply of Commissioner Lamoreaux. 

3. January 13, 1897, modification by Secretary Francis. 

4. May 25, 1906, statement from Secretary Hitchcock transmitting com- 
plaint by Goudy. 

5. July 10, 1906, instructions from Acting Secretary Ryan. 

6. September 27, 1906. further instructions by Acting Secretary Ryan. 

7. April 22, 1907, recommendations from Director Newell, approved by Sec- 
retary Garfield. 

8. November 12, 1907, decision by Secretary Garfield. 

9. November 21, 1907, approval of certain selections by Secretary Ballinger. 
The above apparently includes copies of all executive or department orders 

and regulations touching the use, appropriation, application, or disposition for 
irrigation of the waters of the river, excepting those directly relating to the 
Engle Reservoir given below. 

In this connection also is given correspondence with the Department of 
Agriculture with reference to certain data relating to the flow of the Rio 
Grande, which were apparently obtained during the years 1896 and 1897, and 
subsequent years, by the use of public funds, but which have never been avail- 
able for use by the public in general or by State or Federal officia]s : 

10. March 14, 1911, Secretary Fisher to Department of Agriculture. 

11. March 18, 1911, Secretary Wilson to Department of the Interior. 

Department of the Interior, 
Washington, December 5, 1896. 

The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir : Your office is hereby directed to suspend action on any and all appli- 
cations for right of way through public lands for the purpose of irrigation 
by using the waters of the Rio Grande River or any of its tributaries in the 
State of Colorado or in the Territory of New Mexico until further instructed 
by this department. 

Very respectfully, D. R. Francis, Secretary. 

■ 



WATEES OF THE EIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 6 

Department of the Inter cor, 

General Land Office. 
Washington, D. C, December 18, 1896. 
r \ The Secretary of the Interior. 

Sir: This office is in receipt of departmental order of December 5, 1896, direct- 
ing the suspension of action " on any and all applications for right of way 
through public lands for the purpose of irrigation by using the waters of the 
Rio Grande River or any of its tributaries in the State of Colorado or in the 
Territory of New Mexico " until further instructions. In connection therewith 
I would call attention to the application of the Pecos Irrigation & Improvement 
Co., submitted to the department by this office on November 12, 1896; and 
those of the Mesilla Valley Land & Irrigation Co. and the Rio Grande Dam & 
Irrigation Co., submitted together August 15, 1896. 

These applications are all that are pending before the department on recom- 
mendation of approval by this office and which come within the operation of 
said order. 

Very respectfully, S. W. Lamoretjx, Commissioner. 



Department of the Interior. 
Washington, January 13, 1891. 
The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir : By departmental letter of December 5, 1896, you were directed to sus- 
pend action on all applications for right of way for irrigation purposes by the 
use of the waters of the Rio Grande or any of its tributaries in Colorado or 
New Mexico till further instructed. 

I now hereby modify the above order by limiting its application, so far as 
the tributaries of the Rio Grande are involved, to those tributaries which empty 
into that river above the point where it becomes the boundary between the 
United States and Mexico. 

Very respectfully, D. R. Francis, Secretary. 



Department of the Interior, 

Washington, May 25, 1906. 
The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir : In a letter of January 25, 1906, to the department, Mr. F. C. Goudy, 
president of the Rio Grande Reservoir & Ditch Co., made complaint that the 
proposed construction of a reservoir by the company in Colorado for reclama- 
tion purposes and the procuring of a right of way therefor is being prevented 
by the Government. 

In a report of February 26, 1906, on this letter the Director of the Geological 
Survey recommended that — 

" If there be no objection on the part of the State Department, at whose 
instance the order of December 5, 1896, was made, the same be modified to 
permit the approval of rights of way for irrigation purposes on the tributaries 
of the Rio Grande which were initiated by actual field surveys based upon 
notices of appropriation of water filed under the laws of Colorado prior to 
March 1, 1903." 

The Acting Secretary of State, in a letter of March 7, 1906, to the depart- 
ment, stated that — 

" The Department of State approves the recommendation of the Director of 
the Geological Survey modifying the order of suspension in accordance with 
the request of the Rio Grande Reservoir & Ditch Co." 

In a letter of the 22d instant to the department the Acting Secretary of 
State has extended the approval covered by the letter of March 7, supra — 
" so as to include all companies or applicants whose rights of way for irriga- 
tion purposes on the tributaries of the Rio Grande * * * were initiated 
by actual field surveys based upon notices of appropriation of water filed 
under the laws of Colorado prior to March 1. 1903." 

In view of the foregoing the departmental order of December 5, 1896, direct- 
ing you to suspend action on all applications for right of way through the 
public lands for purposes of irrigation by using the waters of the Rio Grande 
or any of its tributaries in Colorado or New Mexico, and the order of January 



4 WATERS OF THE RIO GBANDE AND ITS TKIBUTARIES. 

13, 1897, modifying the original order so far as the tributaries of the Rio 
Grande are concerned by limiting its application to tributaries emptying into 
the Rio Grande above the point where it becomes the boundary between the 
United States and Mexico, are hereby modified so as to exclude from their 
operation all applications for right of way covered by the approval in the letter 
of the 22d instant from the Acting Secretary of State, quoted above. 
The letter of Mr. Goudy is transmitted herewith. 
Very respectfully, 

E. A. Hitchcock, Secretary. 



Department of the Interior, 

Washington, July 10, 1906. 
The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir: In departmental letter of May 25, 3906, to you, departmental orders of 
December 5, 1896, and January 13, 1897, were modified so as to exclude from 
their operation all applications for rights of way through the public lands for 
purposes of irrigation by using the waters of the Rio Grande or any of its 
tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico initiated by actual field surveys based 
on notices of appropriation of water filed under the laws of Colorado prior to 
March 1, 1903, such modification being favored by the Acting Secretary of 
State in a letter of May 22, 1906, to the department. 

In view of this modification of the orders mentioned you are directed that in 
acting on this class of applications, now on file or that may be filed hereafter 
in your office, to submit them to the Director of the Geological Survey to ascer- 
tain whether they will conflict with the obligations of the United States, under 
the treaty with Mexico, recently ratified, or with the Rio Grande or any other 
project of the Reclamation Service, and to transmit the reports of the director, 
with the applications when they are submitted for departmental action. 
Very respectfully, 

Thos. Ryan, Acting Secretary. 



Department of the Interior, 

Washington, September 21, 1906. 

The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir : In a letter of the 24th instant to the department the Acting Secretary 
of State has stated, with respect to applications for right of way tb rough public 
lands for purposes of irrigation by using the waters of the Rio Grande or 
any of its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico, that the Department of 
State perceives no reason for the further suspension of action on any applica- 
tion of such character. 

He has stated further that the intent of the original departmental order of 
suspension dated December 5, 1896. was to conserve the interests of the Mexi- 
can Government in the waters of the Rio Grande pending an agreement between 
the United States and Mexico on the question, and that such an agreement 
has been reached and is embodied in the treaty signed May 21 last, by which 
the United States obligates itself to deliver to the Mexican Government 60,000 
acre-feet of water annually. 

He has accordingly recommended that the order of December 5, 1896, and all 
modifying orders be rescinded, thus removing, so far as the Department of 
State is concerned, all restrictions on the consideration of applications involv- 
ing any enterprise of a character which, on investigation by the Reclamation 
Service, is found to be not prejudicial to the treaty interests of Mexico. 

In view of this recommendation the departmental order of December 5, 1896, 
and the several modifying orders are hereby revoked, and it is hereby directed 
that before any applications involving the use of the waters mentioned in 
Colorado and New Mexico are submitted for final departmeutal action by you 
they be first submitted to the Director of the Geological Survey to ascertain 
whether favorable action thereon would interfere with any project of the 
Reclamation Service or with the obligations of the United States under the 
treaty of May 21, 1906, with Mexico. 

Very respectfully, Thos. Ryan, Acting Secretary. 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 5 

Department of the Interior, 
United States Reclamation Service, 

Washington, D. C, April 22, 1907. 
The Secretary of the Interior. 

Sir : The situation on the Rio Grande requires careful consideration and deter- 
mination of policy by the Secretary. Briefly stated, the conditions are these : 

The United States has entered into a treaty with Mexico, proclaimed by the 
President on January 16, 1907, by which it is agreed that the United States 
shall deliver to Mexico 60,000 acre-feet of water at the head of the Mexican 
canal near El Paso. In order to carry out this part of the treaty Congress has 
appropriated, by act approved March 4, 1907, the sum of $1,000,000 toward the 
construction of a dam on the Rio Grande, this being assumed to furnish water 
for 25,000 acres at $40 per acre. The total estimated cost of this project, in- 
cluding the dam, will be $7,200,000, of which amount $200,000 has been set aside 
and is now being used in the construction of subsidiary works, notably a diver- 
sion dam above Las Cruces, N. Mex. The remaining amount, $6,000,000, must 
be obtained from the reclamation fund. 

It is estimated that for this expenditure of $7,200,000 it will be possible to 
irrigate 180,000 acres at $40 per acre. Deducting the 25,000 acres in Mexico, 
this leaves 155,000 acres in New Mexico and Texas to refund the $6,200,000. 
By storing all the water of the Rio Grande, including storm floods, this acreage 
can be supplied. If the flow of the stream is notably diminished, the area to 
be served will be correspondingly reduced and the cost per acre increased. This 
increase of cost will probably be at the expense of the lands in the United States, 
as Congress has already made the appropriation for the building charge to 
comply with the terms of the treaty. 

The headwaters of this river are in the State of Colorado, surrounding the 
San Luis Valley. For several years after December 5, 1896, the Department of 
the Interior refused to grant rights of way for reservoirs or canals on these 
headwaters because of the effect on the international problem below. The de- 
partmental order was first modified May 25, 1906, to permit approval in cases 
where the applicants made a showing of priority over the United States. After 
the Senate had advised the ratification of the treaty, on July 10, 1906, these 
orders of the department were revoked, and the Reclamation Service was re- 
quired to pass upon each case as to conflict with the treaty of the Rio Grande 
project. Most of the older cases have been reported on favorably by the Recla- 
mation Service. In some of the cases, especially the later ones, the conditions 
involved some doubt as to the advisability of approval, and the questions of 
policy to be considered by the department were reported to the General Land 
Office for submission to the department when the cases were presented for your 
consideration. 

Recently a few exceptions have been made as to small reservoirs located high 
in the mountains, where it appeared that the construction of works would not 
interfere notably with the supply of water which could be had in the lower 
reservoir. In view of the fact, however, that the treaty above mentioned has 
been concluded and an appropriation has been made by Congress for construct- 
ing the works in part, it appears probable that any considerable extension of 
the reservoir system at the headwaters may interfere with the plans of the 
Government. 

Wide publicity has been given to the fact that the department has in a few 
cases permitted the location of small reservoirs on the headwaters of the Rio 
Grande. As a result a considerable number of appl'cations are being made for 
other reservoir sites. If it were practicable to lay down a general rule by which 
the smaller of these sites could be approved the results would probably be bene- 
ficial, but a practical difficulty arises in the possibility of defining the limits be- 
tween the large and small projects. It is unquestionably true that if all of the 
large projects on the headwaters of the river which are planned by private par- 
ties could be actually constructed the water supply for the Government reser- 
voir would be to a large extent cut off. It is important, therefore, to have a 
general rule which can be applied to all cases. 

recommendations. 

I therefore recommend that the department lay down the general policy that 
until the development of irrigation on the upper Rio Grande, in the State of 
Colorado and the Territory of New Mexico, shall furnish sufficient data to deter- 
mine the effect of the storage and diversion of water in that vicinity upon the 



6 WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

water supply for the Engle Reservoir of the Rio Grande project, no further 
rights of way be approved which involve the storage or diversion of the waters 
of the upper Rio Grande and its tributaries, except applications of two kinds : 
First, those in connection with which there is a showing that the rights of the 
parties were initiated prior to the beginning of active operations by the Reclama- 
tion Service for the Ric Grande project, namely, March 1, 1903; second, appli- 
cations which involve the diversion or storage of not exceeding 1,000 acre-feet 
of water per annum. 

When it becomes possible to determine the effect of the approved applications 
upon the water available for storage for the Rio Grande project, it may be pos- 
sible to allow the use of rights of way to a greater extent than is now proposed. 

Very respectfully, 

F. H. Newell, Director. 
Approved : 

J. R. Gakfield, Secretary. 

Apkil 25, 1907. 



Department of the Interior, 
United States Reclamation Service, 

Washington, D. C, April 27, 1907. 
The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir: Inclosed herewith you will find copy of a letter dated April 22, 1907, 
addressed to the honorable the Secretary of the Interior, and approved by him 
under date of April 25, relative to the situation on the Rio Grande. 

This is transmitted for your consideration in connection with applications for 
rights of way in that vicinity. 

Very respectfully, F. H. Newell, Director. 



Department of the Interior, 

Washington, November 12, 1907. 
The Commissioner of the General Land Office. 

Sir: The department has again before it for consideration the application of 
A. V. Tabor for right of way, filed under the act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat., 
1095), on account of what is known as Rio Grande Reservoir, covering land 
in sec. 31, T. 41 N., R. 4 W., Del Norte land district Colorado, 

This application was the subject of report by the Director of the Geological 
Survey under date of December 29, 1906, wherein it was said that — 

" The matter was referred to the supervising engineer in charge of the opera- 
tions of the Reclamation Service affecting the drainage of the RiO' Grande, who 
reports that while the water of the reservoir applied for appropriating a part 
of the flood waters of the river would interfere with the Rio Grande project, 
the interference would be so slight as not to materially affect the project or the 
obligations of the United States under its treaty with Mexico. There is no 
objection, therefore, on the part of this office to the approval of the application." 

In departmental decision of January 12 last, not reported, which was upon 
Tabor's appeal from your office decision of June 13, 1904, rejecting his applica- 
tion, this report from the Director of the Geological Survey was referred to, 
and, after disposing of other matters incidental to the application, the entire 
matter was returned without final action for the further consideration of your 
office in the light of the report of the Director of the Geological Survey and 
other matters disposed of in said departmental decision. 

The application is again transmitted with your office letter of the 6th instant 
wherein attention is called to certain memorandum, prepared by the Reclama- 
tion Service, which received departmental approval April 25, 1907, which 
memorandum recommended the establishment of a general policy until the 
development of irrigation on the upper Rio Grande in the State of Colorado 
and the Territory of New Mexico shall furnish sufficient data to determine the 
effect of the storage and diversion of the waters in that vicinity upon the water 
supply of the Eagle Reservoir of the Rio Grande project, and that no further 
rights of way be approved which involve the storage or diversion of the upper 
Rio Grande and its tributaries, except applications of two kinds: First, those 
in connection with which there is a showing that the rights of the parties 
were initiated prior to the beginning of active operations by the Reclamation 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 7 

Service for the Rio Grande project, namely, March 1, 1903 ; and, second, applica- 
tions which involve the diversion or storage of not exceeding 1,000 acre-feet of 
water per annum, and therein you present the question as to whether said order 
of April 25, 1907, should be amended or whether Tabor's application should be 
approved upon the previous favorable report, notwithstanding said order. 

In returning the papers it is but necessary to say that the policy defined in 
the memorandum which received departmental approval April 25, 1907, was not 
intended to affect applications upon which favorable reports had been pre- 
viously made by the Reclamation Service, and that if Tabor's application is in 
all other respects satisfactory, as appears from your letter, it may be submitted 
for departmental approval. 

Very respectfully, J. R. Garfield, Secretary. 



Department of the Interior, 

General Land Office, 
Washington, D. C, November 21, 1907. 
The Secretary of the Interior. 

Sir: October 20, 1902, Albert R. Smith et al. filed in the district land office 
at Del Norte applications for right of way under the provisions of the act of 
March 3, 1891 (26 Stat., 1095), for the Elk Creek Reservoirs Nos. 1 and 2. 
These applications were returned by this office for certain corrections and the 
applicants were required to furnish certain additional data in order to complete 
their applications. July 27, 1905, the applicants filed new maps showing the 
reservoirs and furnished the additional data required. The land affected by the 
proposed right of way is within the Rio Grande drainage as well as within the 
San Juan National Forest. The Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, 
and the Reclamation Service were requested to report on these applications. 
November 13, 1905, the Reclamation Service reported that the allowance of 
these applications would interfere with the contemplated Rio Grande project 
to the extent of appropriating a part of the flood waters upon which the said 
project was dependent. In view of this report the applications were rejected 
by this office. From this action the applicants and their successors in interest — 
the Conejos County Reservoir Co. — appealed. Under date of August 25, 1906, 
the Acting Secretary of the Interior considered the case and stated that — 

" In view of departmental order of May 25, 1906, modifying previous orders 
suspending all applications for right of way through the public lands for pur- 
poses of irrigation by use of the waters of the Rio Grande or any of its tribu- 
taries in Colorado or New Mexico and of the report of the Acting Director of 
the Geological Survey dated the 3d instant, the record is herewith returned for 
your further consideration without action upon the company's appeal at this 
time. 

In his said report of August 3, 1906, the Acting Director of the Geological 
Survey stated that should the applicants show to the satisfaction of the depart- 
ment that their rights were initiated by actual field surveys based upon notice 
of appropriation of water filed under the laws of Colorado prior to March 1, 
1903, his office would offer no objection at that time to the approval of the 
applicants if in conformity with the laws and regulations in other respects, in 
accordance with said departmental order of May 25, 1906. In view of depart- 
mental order of September 27, 1906, revoking the order of suspension of Decem- 
ber 5, 1896, and the several modifying orders, and directing that all such appli- 
cations for rights of way be submitted to the Director of the Geological Survey 
to ascertain whether favorable action thereon would interfere with any project 
of the Reclamation Service or with the treaty obligations of the United States 
with Mexico, the matter was again forwarded to the director with certificates 
of the State engineer of Colorado to the effect that the applicants on November 
13, 1902, had filed in his office maps and statements of the said reservoirs in 
compliance with the laws of Colorado. In reply the Acting Director of the 
Geological Survey, under date of January 24, 1907, discussed the matter in 
detail, and concluded by stating that — 

" The question whether the interference will be sufficient to justify the denial 
of the application is a matter of policy, to be determined by the Secretary of 
the Interior." 

Subsequently, to wit, April 25, 1907, you approved the memorandum sub- 
mitted to you by the Director of the Reclamation Service April 22, 1907, gov- 
erning the applications for rights of way in the Rio Grande project. From 



8 WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

what has been stated heretofore the applications for right of way for the Elk 
Creek Reservoirs Nos. 1 and 2 come within the scope of the first exception 
noted therein, inasmuch as — 

" The rights of the parties were initiated prior to the beginning of active 
operations by the Reclamation Service for the Rio Grande project, namely, 
March 1, 1903." 

Meanwhile, the acting forester has reported that — 

" It has been found that the maps were filed in the local land office prior to 
the date of the establishment of the San Juan National Forest, and for that 
reason no stipulations have been required." 

In view of the premises, the applications having been examined and found to 
conform with the regulations, I recommend that the articles of incorporation 
and proofs of organization of the Conejos County Reservoir Co. be accepted for 
filing, and that the maps, herewith submitted, showing the reservoirs, be ap- 
proved, subject to all valid existing rights. 

Very respectfully, R. A. Ballinger, 

Commissioner. 

Approved, November 21, 190". 

Frank Pierce, Acting Secretary. 



Department of the Interior, 

Washington. March 14, 1911. 
The Secretary of Agriculture. 

Sir: By resolution of the House of Representatives of March 2, 1911, the 
Secretary of the Interior was directed to furnish copies of all Executive or de- 
partmental orders and regulations touching upon the use, appropriation, appli- 
cation, or disposition for irrigation of the waters of the Rio Grande and its 
tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico, together with other data. In connec- 
tion with the preparation of these and other related material it is important 
to have copies of certain original observations and measurements of the Rio 
Grande in San Luis Valley, Colo., made in 1896 and subsequent years, pre- 
sumably in cooperation with and possibly under the direction of the Department 
of Agriculture. 

It appears from the memoranda at hand that, beginning in 1896 or 1897, meas- 
urements of the flow of the Rio Grande and of the ditches taken from it were 
made during three or more consecutive years. These were carried on under the 
direction of Mr. L. G. Carpenter, of the State Agricultural College, Fort Collins, 
Colo., directly by Mr. J. D. Stannard, the salary and expenses of the latter being 
paid by the college from either State or Federal funds. 

The records of these investigations were apparently made in books furnished 
by the agricultural college and purchased from Federal funds. 

The measurements on the Rio Grande referred to were made of the flow of 
water in San Luis Valley, Colo., beginning above Del Norte and following the 
river, measuring the quantity diverted in canals and the quantity entering the 
river in denned channels. This investigation was carried on to the Colorado- 
New Mexico line. 

In addition, measurements were made in a number of places of the flow of the 
river itself, whicb, taken in connection with the measurements of diversion and 
inflow, showed which, if any, stretches of the river were subject to gains or 
losses due to seepage. v 

During the first year of these studies a more elaborate investigation was un- 
dertaken than in the following years. A circuit of the entire valley was made 
and measurements had of all the streams entering from the mountains. 

In addition, a study of the artesian-well district was made and an enumera- 
tion of the wells and measurement or estimate of the flow of these to show what 
amount of water was delivered to the surface of the land. 

Reference has been made to these investigations and to the results attained, 
and there have been many efforts to obtain access to the original records for 
purposes of study and in connection with matters of public interest to the Fed- 
eral Government and to the State. It is understood that the records have 
been retained by Mr. Carpenter personally, and that efforts made to obtain 
them by the State engineer of Colorado and by other persons have been unsuc- 
cessful. There appears to be no question but that these records were obtained 
and paid for in considerable part out of public funds and that they are with- 
held from use by the public or by public officials, and that efforts continued 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 9 

through several years have failed to make these records available for public 
uses. They are now valuable in connection with questions as to water rights 
which will arise on the Rio Grande, especially in connection with the work 
undertaken by the Government in accordance with treaty with Mexico, and 
with various acts of Congress. 

It is suggested that this matter of obtaining access to these notebooks or 
other records of essentially public property be taken up with the proper authori- 
ties of the Colorado Agricultural College, and that efforts be made to have 
these produced and deposited in the hands of a suitable public custodian, such 
as the State engineer of Colorado or some officer in Denver of the United States 
Geological Survey, where they may be available for examination or for copy- 
ing by properly authorized agents of the Government. 
Very respectfully, 

Walter L. Fisher, Secretary. 



Department of Agriculture, 

Office of the Secretary, 
Washington, D. C, March .18, 1911. 
The Secretary of the Interior. 

Sir : I have received your letter of March 14. relative to securing access to 
certain observations and measurements of the Rio Grande made in 1896 and 
subsequent years, by Prof. L. G. Carpenter and his assistant, Mr. J. D. Stannard, 
of the Colorado Agricultural College. 

In reply I beg to advise you that these measurements were made independ- 
ently of any cooperation or direction of this department. Whether or not any 
of the funds received from the Federal Government by the Colorado Agricultural 
College and Experiment Station were employed in connection with the gather- 
ing of these data is not known to this department. The department's super- 
vision over the funds given to the colleges and stations for investigation relates 
only to the proper use of these funds under the Federal statutes, and does not 
extend to a control of the results or the disposition made of them in any 
authoritative way. 

I shall take pleasure in transmitting a copy of your communication to Presi- 
dent Charles A. Lory, of the Colorado Agricultural College, and urging the de- 
sirability of making the data available to public use. 
Very respectfully, your obedient servant. 

James Wilson, Secretary. 



Exhibit B. — The Engle Reclamation Project and Lands to re Reclaimed 

Thereunder. 

The letter from the Commissioner of the General Land Office of March 14, 
1911, and attached papers herewith transmitted, cover all executive orders and 
regulations governing applications for right of way involving the use of the 
waters of the Rio Grande and its tributaries referred to in the request above 
noted. 

In addition, and as covering more directly the disposition for irrigation of the 
waters of the Rio Grande on the lands to be reclaimed by the Engle project, there 
is here given a copy of the articles of agreement of June 27, 1900, between the 
Secretary of the Interior and the two water users' associations representing the 
owners of the lands to be irrigated : 

Department of the. Interior. 

General Land Offtce. 
Washington. March /.'/, 1911. 
The Secretary of the Interior. 

Sir: Referring to your letter of the 6th instant, I have the honor to trans- 
mit herewith copies of the several orders governing applications for right of 
way involving the use of the waters of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, 
together with a list of such applications which were initiated or acted upon 
subsequent to the passage of the reclamation act, to wit, June 17, 1902. 
Very respectfully, 

S. V. Proudfit, 
Assistant Commissioner. 



10 WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT. 

These articles of agreement, made and entered into this 27th day of June, 
1906, by and between the United States of America, acting in this behalf by 
Jesse E. Wilson, Acting Secretary of the Interior, party of the first part, and 
the Elephant Butte Water Users' Association of New Mexico, a corporation 
duly organized and existing under the laws of the Territory of New Mexico, 
and the El Paso Valley Water Users' Association, a corporation duly organized 
and existing under the laws of the Territory of Arizona, parties of the second 
part, their successors and assigns : 

Witnesseth, That whereas the Elephant Butte Water Users' Association of 
New Mexico is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the 
Territory of New Mexico, and the El Paso Valley Water Users' Association 
is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Territory of 
Arizona, for the purposes mentioned in their articles of incorporation and 
by-laws, copies 1 of which are appended to this agreement, and are, for every 
purpose of the interpretation, construction, and consideration of this agree- 
ment and of the rights of the parties hereunder, to be deemed, held, read, and 
considered as if fully written out or printed herein and deemed a part hereof; 
and 

Whereas the lands embraced within the area proposed to be irrigated, as 
described in said articles of incorporation or by-laws, are naturally desert and 
arid and incapable of proper cultivation without irrigation, and will to a greater 
or less extent remain unclaimed, unfit for habitation, and uncultivated, in 
which condition they, or a great part thereof, now are, unless the waters of 
the Rio Grande in New Mexico and its tributaries be impounded and the flow 
thereof otherwise regulated and controlled; and 

Whereas the said Secretary of the Interior contemplates the construction of 
certain irrigation works under the provisions of an act of Congress entitled 
"An act appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands 
in certain States and Territories to the construction of irrigation works for 
the reclamation of arid lands," approved June 17, 1902, for the irrigation and 
reclamation of the lands described in the said articles or by-laws; and 

Whereas the incorporators and shareholders of said Elephant Butte Water 
Users' Association of New Mexico and El Paso Valley Water Users' Association 
are, and under the provisions of their articles of incorporation must be, owners 
and occupants of lands in said area, and in some cases are appropriators of 
water for the irrigation thereof, and in addition thereto such incorporators 
and shareholders and their successors or assigns must initiate rights to the 
use of water from the said proposed irrigation works to be constructed by 
the said Secretary of the Interior as soon as such rights may be initiated, and 
thereafter complete the acquisition thereof in the manner and upon the terms 
aud conditions to be prescribed therefor by the Secretary of the Interior, which 
rights shall be, and thereafter continue to be, forever appurtenant to designated 
lands owned by such shareholders; and 

Whereas neither the relative priority nor the extent of the individual appro- 
priations of such water heretofore made by said incorporators and shareholders 
for the lands described in said articles or by-laws, and which are now vested 
rights, have been ascertained or determined, but said incorporators and share- 
holders have agreed among themselves, by the terms and provisions of said 
articles of incorporation and by-laws, upon the rules and principles by and 
upon which the relative priority and the extent of their several appropriations 
and vested rights to the use of such waters shall be determined : 

Now, therefore, it is agreed and understood by and between the parties 
hereto : 

1. That if the said Secretary of the Interior shall authorize and cause the 
construction of said irrigation works, the said associations will take prompt 
action to secure the determination by the courts of the relative rights of their 
shareholders to the use of water for said lands, and that in the determination 
of such rights and of their respective rights to the use of water acquired under 
said act of Congress, the rules and principles set out in said articles of incor- 
poration and by-laws for such determination shall be deemed the established 
rules and principles for that purpose. 

2. That only those who are or who may become members of said associations, 
under the provisions of their articles of incorporation and* by-laws, shall be 

1 Not printed. 



WATEES OF THE EIO GBANDE AND ITS TEIBUTAEIES. 11 

accepted as applicants for rights to the use of water available by means of said 
proposed irrigation works. 

3. That the aggregate amount of such rights to be issued shall in no event 
exceed the number of acres of land capable of irrigation by the total amount 
of water available for the purpose, being (1) the amount now appropriated 
by the shareholders of said associations and (2) the amount to be delivered 
from all sources in excess of the water now appropriated ; and that the Sec- 
retary of the Interior shall determine the number of acres so capable of such 
irrigation as aforesaid, his determination to be made upon due and expert 
consideration of all available data and to be based upon and measured and 
limited by the beneficial use of water. 

4. That the payments for the water rights to be issued to the shareholders 
of said associations under the provisions of said act of Congress shall be 
divided into not less than 10 equal annual payments, the first of which shall 
be payable when the water is first delivered from said works, or within a rea- 
sonable time thereafter, and after due notice thereof by the Secretary of the 
Interior to the associations, and that the cost of said proposed irrigation works 
shall be apportioned equally per acre among those acquiring such rights : 

Provided, That the charges apportioned under the integral part of the said 
irrigation works, known as the Leasburg Diversion Dam and Canal, the con- 
struction of which is now proposed, shall be paid in 10 equal annual install- 
ments, upon the terms herein specified : 

Provided further, That in the assessment of the charges under the main Rio 
Grande project when constructed the Secretary of the Interior shall apportion 
equitably the charges therefor against the land irrigated under the Leasburg 
Diversion Dam and Canal, due allowance being made for the charges already 
paid under this agreement. 

5. That the said water users associations hereby guarantee the payments 
for that part of the cost of the irrigation works which shall be apportioned 
by the Secretary of the Interior to their shareholders, and will promptly levy 
calls or assessments therefor and for the cost of maintenance and operation 
as may be assessed from year to year by the Secretary of the Interior, and 
collect or require prompt payment thereof in such manner as the Secretary of 
the Interior may direct; that they will promptly pay the sums collected by them 
to the receivers of the local land offices- for the districts in which said lands 
are situated ; that they will promptly employ the means provided and au- 
thorized by the said articles of incorporation and by-laws for the enforce- 
ment of such collections; and will not change, alter, or amend their articles 
of incorporation or by-laws in any manner whereby such means of collection, 
or the lien given to them by the shareholders to secure the payment thereof, 
or of any assessments contemplated or authorized thereby shall be impaired, 
diminished, or rendered less effective without the consent of the Secretary of 
the Interior. 

6. That the United States shall in no manner be responsible for the sums 
collected by said associations until they have been paid into the hands of the 
receiver of the local land office, as provided by the law, and in accordance with 
such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior. 

7. That for the purpose of enforcing said collections the associations will 
adopt and enforce proper by-laws, subject to the approval of the Secretary of 
the Interior, and not change them so as to in anywise impair their efficiency for 
said purpose, and will otherwise do any and all things they are authorized 
and empowered to do in the premises. 

8. That the associations will adopt and enforce such rules and regulations 
as they are authorized by their articles of incorporation and by-laws to adopt 
and enforce, concerning the use of water by their shareholders and concerning 
the administration of the affairs of the associations, to effectually carry out 
and promote the purposes of their organization, within the provisions of said 
articles of incorporation and by-laws, which rules and regulations shall be 
subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, and that if the associa- 
tions fail to make and adopt such rules and regulations, then the Secretary of 
the Interior may prescribe them ; but in such event the Secretary of the In- 
terior shall impose no rule or regulation interfering with any vested right of 
the shareholders of the associations, as defined or modified by said articles of 
incorporation and by-laws. 

9. That persons who are not now members of the associations, but who 
mav be the owners or occupants of land to be irrigated, as described in their 



12 WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

articles of incorporation or by-laws, or of added lands as therein provided for 
and to whom rights to the use of water from the proposed irrigation works may 
be issued by the United States, may, at the designation of the Secretary of the 
Interior, become members of the associations upon subscribing to the stock 
thereof and upon compliance with the other conditions prescribed for such 
membership. 

10. That in all the relations between the United States and these associations 
and the members of the associations, the rights of the members of the associa- 
tions to the use of water where the same have vested, are to be defined, deter- 
mined and enjoyed in accordance with the provisions of the said act of Congress 
and of other acts of Congress on the subject of the acquisition and enjoyment 
of the rights to use water ; and also by the laws of New Mexico and Texas, 
where not inconsistent therewith, modified, if modified at all, by the provisions 
of the articles of incorporation and by-laws of said associations. 

11. That nothing contained in this agreement, or to be implied from the fact 
of its execution, shall be construed, held or deemed to be an approval by the 
Secretary of the Interior, nor an adoption by him of the articles of incorpora- 
tion or by-laws of said associations in all their details as the form of organiza- 
tion of .water users, contemplated and authorized by Section 6 of the said act 
of Congress of June 17, 1902 ; but such approval and adoption is expressly 
reserved until the conditions prescribed in said act authorizing such approval 
and adoption shall have arisen ; and that when the Secretary of the Interior 
shall make, approve, and promulgate rules and regulations for the administra- 
tion of the water to be supplied from said proposed irrigation works, such rules 
and regulations and such modifications thereof as the secretary may, from time 
to time, approve and promulgate, shall be deemed and held to be obligatory upon 
these associations as fully and completely, and to every intent and purpose as 
if they were now made, approved, promulgated, and written out in full in this 
agreement, and the same are to be so read and construed. 

12. It is further understood and agreed that the charges apportioned by the 
Secretary of the Interior for the construction of the Leasburg Diversion Dam 
and Canal against the lands irrigated thereunder shall be upon the basis of the 
water available from the natural flow of the Rio Grande at said dam. 

In witness whereof the undersigned have hereunto subscribed their names 
and affixed their seals the day and year first herein written. 

[seal.] Jesse E. Wilson, 

Acting Secretary of the Interior, 
For and on behalf of the United States of America, 

Party of the first part. 

[seal.] Elephant Butte Water Users' Association 

of New Mexico, 
By H. B. Holt, President. 
Attest : 

N. C. Frenger, Secretary. 
[seal.] El Paso Valley Water Users' Association, 

By A. Courchesne, President. 
Attest : 

F. Martine, Secretary. 



Exhibit C. — Negotiations with the Republic of Mexico Concerning the 

Waters of the Rio Grande. 

The negotiations with the Republic of Mexico have been conducted as a 
matter of course by the Department of State, and there do not appear to be 
on the files of the department copies of Executive or departmental orders re- 
lating to the matter. In order, however, to comply, as far as practicable, with 
this request, a letter was addressed to the Department of State on March 11, as 

given below : 

Department of the Interior, 

Washington, March 11, 1911. 
The Secretary of State. 

Sir: By resolution of March 2, 1911, the House of Representatives directed 
that the Secretary of the Interior furnish certain facts concerning the Rio 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 13 

Grande and its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico, and in particular " the 
negotiations with the Republic of Mexico concerning said waters." The reso- 
lution is as follows : 

"Resolved, That the Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, directed 
to furnish to the House of Representatives, if not incompatible with the public 
interests, copies of all Executive or department orders and regulations in the 
possession of the Interior Department and its bureaus touching the use, appro- 
priation, application, or disposition for irrigation of the waters of the Rio 
Grande and its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico; the Engle reclamation 
project and lands to be reclaimed thereunder ; the negotiations with the Repub- 
lic of Mexico concerning said waters, together with a list or statement of all 
private irrigation or reservoir projects initiated or attempted to be initiated 
from the waters of said river and its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico 
above said Engle project, or acted upon by said department since the passage of 
the reclamation act, and the disposition of the same." 

It is inferred that the information desired is in connection with the discussion 
or correspondence which led up to the convention between the United States 
and Mexico providing for the equitable distribution of the waters of the Rio 
Grande for irrigation purposes signed at Washington May 21, 1906. It appears 
that the Department of State, as a result of certain international obligations, 
caused the institution of proceedings, through the Attorney General, May 24, 
1897, to prevent the construction of irrigation works undertaken by the Rio 
Grande Dam & Irrigation Co. at what is known as the Elephant Butte, N. Mex. 

Upon the filing of complaint by the Government of Mexico, the Secretary 
of the Interior on December 5, 1896, ordered the suspension of all applica- 
tions for rights of way for irrigation ditches and reservoirs involving public 
lands on the Rio Grande, so as to prevent further diversions of water from this 
stream. 

On June 27, 1904, the Hon. John Hay, then Secretary of State, suggested that 
a practical solution of the problems of water distribution on the Rio Grande 
might be accomplished under the terms of the reclamation act of June 17, 1902. 

The above matters are cited as giving indication of the character or extent of 
the information which may be available, and it is requested, if not incompatible 
with the public interests, that this department be furnished with a statement of 
the negotiations with the Republic of Mexico or such other facts as may be 
relevant to the matter under consideration. 

Very respectfully, R. A. Ballinger, Secretary. 

No reply has as yet been received to this request, but in order to furnish the 
material desired a brief statement is appended, including the material available 
concerning the negotiations which have apparently been an outgrowth of action 
by the Department of State in attempting to solve an international question 
involving claims presented by Mexico for losses to citizens of that Republic, due 
to the alleged interference with vested water rights. The State Department, as 
a result of public discussion of this matter, caused the institution of proceedings 
through the Attorney General May 24, 1897, to prevent the construction of irri- 
gation works undertaken by the Rio Grande Dam & Irrigation Co. at what is 
known as the Elephant Butte, in New Mexico, on the Rio Grande, about 100 
miles above El Paso. The projected works threatened to still further deprive 
Mexico of water which had been used for many years. 

Upon request of the State Department, upon complaint of the Government of 
Mexico, the Secretary of the Interior on December 5, 1896, ordered the suspen- 
sion of all applications for rights of way for irrigation ditches and reservoirs, in- 
volving public lands on the Rio Grande and its tributaries, so as to prevent fur- 
ther diversions of the waters of this stream. In a letter of June 27, 1904, from 
Hon. John Hay, Secretary of State, to Hon. Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Secretary 
of the Interior, the suggestion was made that a practical solution of the prob- 
lems of water distribution on the Rio Grande might be accomplished under the 
terms of the reclamation act of June 17, 1902. He called attention to the propo- 
sition already made of establishing a reservoir near Elephant Butte. The mat- 
ter was immediately taken up, and Mr. B. M. Hall, of the Reclamation Service, 
was placed in charge of further investigations, with the result that at the irri- 
gation congress at El Paso, Tex., November 18, 1904, Mr. Hall presented a com- 
prehensive scheme, which was agreed to by representatives of the people inter- 
ested in New Mexico, Texas, and the Republic of Mexico. 



14 



WATERS OF THE BIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



On February 25, 1905 (33 Stat. L., 814), the reclamation act was extended to 
Texas, and on May 21, 1906 (34 Stat. L., 2593), a treaty with Mexico was signed 
in the following terms : 

" Convention between the United States and Mexico, providing for the Equitable 
Distribution of the Waters of the Rio Grande for Irrigation Purposes. 

"[Signed at Washington May 21, 1906; ratification advised by the Senate June 26, 
1906 ; ratified by the President Dec. 26, 1906 ; ratified by Mexico Jan. 5, 1907 ; 
ratifications exchanged at Washington Jan. 16, 1907; proclaimed Jan. 16, 1907.] 

" By the Peesident of the United States of America. 

" a proclamation. 

" Whereas a convention between the United States of America and the United 
States of Mexico, providing for the equitable distribution of the waters of the 
Rio Grande for irrigation purposes, and to remove all causes of controversy 
between them in respect thereto, was concluded and signed by their respective 
plenipotentiaries at Washington on the 21st day of May, 1906, the original of 
which convention, being in the English and Spanish languages, is word for word 
as follows: 

" The United States of America and the United States of Mexico being de- 
sirous to provide for the equitable distribution of the waters of the Rio Grande 
for irrigation purposes, and to remove all causes of controversy between them 
in respect thereto, and being moved by considerations of international comity, 
have resolved to conclude a convention for these purposes and have named as 
their plenipotentiaries : 

" The President of the United States of America, Blihu Root, Secretary of 
State of the United States; and 

" The President of the United States of Mexico, His Excellency Senor Don 
Joaquin D. Casastis, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the 
United States of Mexico at Washington; 

" Who, after having exhibited their respective full powers, which were found 
to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles : 

"Article I. After the completion of the proposed storage dam near Engle, 
N. Mex., and the distributing system auxiliary thereto, and as soon as water shall 
be available in said system for the purpose, the United States shall deliver to 
Mexico a total of 60,000 acre-feet of water annually, in the bed of the Rio 
Grande at the point where the head works of the Acequia Madre, known as the 
Old Mexican Canal, now exist above the city of Juarez, Mexico. 

"Art. II. The delivery of the said amount of water shall be assured by the 
United States and shall be distributed through the year in the same proportions 
as the water supply proposed to be furnished from the said irrigation system 
to lands in the United States in the vicinity of El Paso, Tex., according to the 
following schedule, as nearly as may be possible: 



Acre-feet 

per 
month. 



Correspond- 
ing cubic 
feet of water. 



January 

February 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September. . . , 

October 

November 

December 

Total for the year. 





1,090 

5,460 

12, 000 

12, 000 

12, 000 

8,180 

4,370 

3,270 

1,090 

540 







47,480,400 

237, 837, 600 

522,720,000 

522,720,000 

522, 720, 000 

356, 320, 800 

190, 357, 200 

142,441,200 

47, 480, 400 

23, 522, 400 





60, 000 



2, 613, 600, 000 



" In case, however, of extraordinary drought or serious accident to the irriga- 
tion system in the United States, the amount delivered to the Mexican Canal 
shall be diminished in the same proportion as the water delivered to lands 
under said irrigation system in the United States. 



WATERS OF THE EIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 15 

"Art. III. The said delivery shall be made without cost to Mexico, and the 
United States agrees to pay the whole cost of storing the said quantity of 
water to be delivered to Mexico, of conveying the same to the international line, 
of measuring the said water, and of delivering it in the river bed above the head 
of the Mexican Canal. It is understood that the United States assumes no 
obligation beyond the delivering of the water in the bed of the river above the 
head of the Mexican Canal. 

"Art. IV. The delivery of water as herein provided is not to be construed as a 
recognition by the United States of any claim on the part of Mexico to the said 
waters ; and it is agreed that in consideration of such delivery of water Mexico 
waives any and all claims to the waters of the Rio Grande for any purpose 
whatever between the head of the present Mexican Canal and Fort Quitman, 
Tex., and also declares fully settled and disposed of, and hereby waives, all 
claims heretofore asserted or existing, or that may hereafter arise, or be as- 
serted, against the United States on account of any damages alleged to have 
been sustained by the owners of land in Mexico by reason of the diversion by 
citizens of the United States of waters of the Rio Grande. 

"Art. V. The United States in entering into this treaty does not thereby con- 
cede, expressly or by implication, any legal basis for any claims heretofore 
asserted or which may be hereafter asserted by reason of any losses incurred 
by the owners of land in Mexico due or alleged to be due to the diversion of the 
waters of the Rio Grande within the United States ; nor does the United States 
in any way concede the establishment of any general principle or precedent by 
the concluding of this treaty. The understanding of both parties is that the 
arrangement contemplated by this treaty extends only to the portion of the Rio 
Grande which forms the international boundary from the head of the Mexican 
Canal down to Fort Quitman, Tex., and in no other case. 

"Art. VI. The present convention shall be ratified by both contracting parties 
in accordance with their constitutional procedure, and the ratifications shall be 
exchanged at Washington as soon as possible. 

" In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the conven- 
tion, both in the English and Spanish languages, and have thereunto affixed 
their seals. 

" Done in duplicate at the city of Washington this 21st day of May, 1906. 

" Elihu Root. [seal.] 

" Joaquin D. Casasus." [seal.] 

"And whereas the said convention has been duly ratified on both parts, and the 
ratifications of the two Governments were exchanged in the city of Washington 
on the 16th day of January, 1907 : 

" Now, therefore, be it known that I, Theodore Roosevelt, President of the 
United States of America, have caused the said convention to be made public, 
to the end that the same and every article and clause thereof may be observed 
and fulfilled with good faith by the United States and the citizens thereof. 

" In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of 
the United States of America to be affixed. 

" Done at the city of Washington, this 16th day of January, in the year of our 
Lord 1907, and of the independence of the United States of America the one 
hundred and thirty-first. 

"[seal.] Theodore Roosevelt. 

" By the President : 
" Elihu Root, 

"Secretary of State." 

The legislation supplementing the treaty with Mexico, intended to make the 
general plan effective, consists of the act of February 25, 1905, authorizing the 
construction of the dam; also the act of June 12, 1906, extending the reclamation 
act to Texas, and the act of March 4, 1907, providing $1,000,000 toward the ex- 
pense of construction. These several acts are as follows : 

"" AN ACT Relating to the construction of a dam and reservoir on the Rio Grande, in 
New Mexico, for the impounding of the flood waters of said river for the purposes of 
irrigation. 

"Be it enacted by the Senate and Home of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the provisions of the reclamation 
act approved June seventeenth, nineteen hundred and two, shall be extended 
for the purposes of this act to the portion of the State of Texas bordering upon 
the Rio Grande which can be irrigated from a dam to be constructed near 



16 WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 

Engle, in the Territory of New Mexico, on the Rio Grande, to store the flood 
waters of that river, and if there shall be ascertained to be sufficient land in 
New Mexico and in Texas which can be supplied with the stored water at a cost 
which shall render the project feasible and return to the reclamation fund the 
cost of the enterprise, then the Secretary of the Interior may proceed with the 
work of constructing a dam on the Rio Grande as part of the general system 
of irrigation, should all other conditions as regards feasibility be found satis- 
factory. (33 Stat. L., 814.) 

"Approved, February 25, 1905." 

"AN ACT To extend the irrigation act to the State of Texas. 

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That the provisions of the act entitled 
'An act appropriating the receipts from the sale and disposal of public lands in 
certain States and Territories to the construction of irrigation works for the 
reclamation of arid lands/ approved June seventeenth, nineteen hundred and 
two, be, and the same are hereby, extended so as to include and apply to the 
State of Texas. (34 Stat. L., 259.) 

"Approved, June 12, 1906." 

A provision of the sundry civil appropriation act for the fiscal year ending 
June 30, 1908, reads as follows : 

" Convention with Mexico : Toward the construction of a dam for storing and 
delivering sixty thousand acre-feet of water annually in the bed of the Rio 
Grande at the point where the headworks of the Acequia Madre now exist, 
above the city of Juarez. Mexico, as provided by a convention between the 
United States and Mexico, proclaimed January sixteenth, nineteen hundred and 
seven, one million dollars, to be available as needed and to be expended under 
the direction of the Secretary of the Interior in connection with the irrigation 
project on the Rio Grande : Provided, That the balance of the cost of said irriga- 
tion project over and above the amount herein appropriated shall be allotted 
by the Secretary of the Interior, as may be needed and as may be available 
from time to time, from the reclamation fund and collected from the settlers 
and owners of the land benefited under the provisions of the reclamation act 
approved June seventeenth, nineteen hundred and two, and acts supplemental 
thereto or amendatory thereof. (34 Stat. L., 1357.) 

" Approved March 4, 1907." 

In the meantime, while this legislation was under discussion, surveys and 
examinations were being conducted, resulting in report to the Secretary of the 
Interior by which the department decided that there was a feasible project 
within the' terms of the reclamation act, and one which would provide a satis- 
factory supply for lands in Mexico, as well as those in the United States. In 
the Third Annual Report of the Reclamation Service (pp. 396-426), submitted to 
Congress in December, 1904, is published a full statement of the proposed plans 
for the Rio Grande project, including a discussion of the Engle Reservoir, 
Engle Dam, and Leasburg diversion. To the end of that fiscal year there had 
been expended from tbe reclamation fund for the Rio Grande project about 
$37,000 for surveys and preliminary examinations. 

In the following year surveys were made for tbe Leasburg diversion, and the 
water users in the entire project were organized. (Fourth Annual Report 
Reclamation Service, pp. 279-280.) During that fiscal year, there was expended 
for the project from the reclamation fund, $5,843.44. The act of February 25, 
1905 (34 Stat., 814), authorized such operations in Texas as might be required 
in connection with this project. 

The project was formallv adopted by the Secretary of the Interior on Decem- 
ber 2 1905 and an allotment of $200,000 was made therefor from the reclama- 
tion fund. ' During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1906, preliminary work on 
the Leasburg diversion dam was performed and the expenditures amounted 
to $12,394.19. (Fifth Annual Report, pp. 200-224.) 

In the next year, 1907, the treaty with Mexico was proclaimed, this being on 
January 16, 1907, and the appropriation of $1,000,000 was made March 4, 1907, 
not becoming available, however, until after the end of that fiscal year. Dur- 
ing this fiscal year and pending the special appropriation work was carried on 
in connection with the Engle Reservoir site in the examination of land-office 
and court records, with a view to the acquisition of title to lands in the reser- 
voir site. Active field work was prosecuted on the Leasburg diversion^dam 
and canal, and the total expenditures on the entire project were $83,250.06, an 
charged against the reclamation fund. 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 17 

It will be noted that up to this time there had been expended on the project 
$138,487.69, drawn entirely from the reclamation fund. Of this amount 
$48,730.30 had been expended upon the Engle Reservoir. 

The Leasburg diversion dam and canal is an important portion of the entire 
project, because this diversion dam and canal forms a part of the plan for 
handling the stored water from the Engle Reservoir to the head of the Mexican 
canal near El Paso to be delivered to Mexico under the treaty. 

During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908. active operations were in prog- 
ress to complete the topographic and land-ownership survey of the Engle Res- 
ervoir site. Surveys and negotiations were also made for a branch railroad 
from a point near Engle to the dam site and also for wagon roads and trails, 
and contract finally formulated to provide for construction. The walls of the 
dam site were thoroughly prospected, and plans for various preliminary opera- 
tions were prepared. The Leasburg diversion dam and canal were completed 
and placed in operation for the irrigation of about 15,000 acres. During this 
fiscal year there was expended on the project $128,356.79, of which $27,380.02 
were expended on the Engle Dam and Reservoir, about $4,000 being expended 
from the reclamation fund and $23,313.13 from the Rio Grande Dam appropria- 
tion. (Seventh annual report. Reclamation Service, pp. 149-152.) 

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 1909, the topographic survey of the storage- 
reservoir site was completed, a large amount of development work was done in 
the vicinity of the dam site, a water-supply system provided, and a reenforced- 
concrete water tank was erected; the railroad line was finally located, partly 
graded, and active work was in progress for the preliminary operations at the 
dam site, when the work was stopped in May, 1909, by orders of the company 
owning the land, after it became evident that a satisfactory agreement. for pur- 
chase could not be reached. Thereupon steps were promptly taken to acquire 
the land by condemnation proceedings. 

The Leasburg Dam and Canal were operated during the year for the irriga- 
tion of the lands under it. The total expenditures for the year upon the proj- 
ect were $114,502.95, of which $103,441.66 were expended upon the Engle Dam 
and Reservoir. (Eighth annual report, pp. 140-145.) 

The special fund for the Rio Grande Dam became available July 1, 1907. 
Thereupon, as shown above, the surveys and investigations previously begun 
were actively continued, and negotiations were undertaken to acquire the lands 
needed for the reservoir site, somewhat more than 40,000 acres. Of this, more 
than 30.000 acres belong to the Victorio Land & Cattle Co. The negotiations 
were carried on until May, 1909, when it was found impracticable to reach a 
decision, and the company demanded that all work upon its property cease at 
once. During this period of 1 year and 10 months much preliminary work has 
been done, including all that was practicable prior to securing the ownership of 
the land. 

Aside from the large tract of land owned by the corporation referred to, 
there are a large number of small holdings, about 200 in number. Negotiations 
have been constantly in progress, and a number of the tracts have been con- 
tracted for or acquired. The surveys of these lands to ascertain the boundaries 
on the ground and negotiations with the owners, practically all of whom are 
Mexicans, has been very difficult, but has been vigorously carried forward. 

The special appropriation for the dam site has up to this date been available 
for active construction and field operations on the dam only during the time 
that the owner of the dam site did not object to work, a period of less than 
two years, and up to the date of April 30. 1910, $447,026.83 has been expended 
for the Rio Grande project as a whole. $260,801.53 having been expended from 
the reclamatoin fund. On the Engle Dam and reservoir a total of $252,535.12 
has been expended, of which $67,276.57 has been spent from the reclamation 
fund and $185,258.55 from the special appropriation for the Engle Dam. 

Owing to the failure to arrive at an amicable settlement, the further work 
of preparation for the construction of the dam was stopped by order of June 
19, 1909, from H. A. Jastro, general manager of the Victorio Land & Cattle 
Co. Proceedings were at once begun in the court of New Mexico, and in May, 
1910, an award was made of approximately $200,000. The matter was dis- 
cussed, and it was concluded that, although the award appeared to be excessive, 
it was the consensus of opinion of those interested that it would be better to 
pay a somewhat larger amount and proceed with the construction than to 
delay further. 

H. Doc. 39, 62-1 2 



18 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



By letter of May 23, 1910, the Secretary of the Interior states : 
" If the Engle Dam proposition were one in which only the citizens of this 
country were interested, I would, not feel justified at this time in taking any 
action looking to its construction from moneys in the reclamation fund if by 
so doing the completion of other projects would thereby be delayed. But said 
dam occupies a different status than the other approved projects, in that it is 
oge in which the citizens of the Republic of Mexico are interested, and the 
faith of this Government is pledged by solemn treaty to begin and complete 
it at as early a date as possible. To carry out the provisions of the treaty, 
Congress by act of March 4, 1907 (34 Stat. L., 1357), made a direct appro- 
priation of $1,000,000, and at the same time provided ' that the balance of the 
cost of said irrigation project ' be paid ' from the reclamation fund.' In view, 
therefore, of our treaty obligations with the Republic of Mexico and of the said 
act of Congress, I feel that it is incumbent upon this department to construct 
said dam as soon as possible, even though the completion of other projects be 
delayed thereby. I therefore direct you to advise the engineers ' to so plan 
the work as to be ready to begin upon the foundations in July, 191.1.' " 



Exhibit D. — List of Private Projects Acted upon by the Department. 



The resolution of March 2 calls for a list or statement of all private irriga- 
tion or reservoir projects initiated, or attempted to be initiated, from the 
waters of the Rio Grande and its tributaries in Colorado and New Mexico 
above the Engle project, acted upon by the department since the passage of 
the reclamation act, and the disposition of these. Such list has been obtained 
from the Commissioner of the General Land Office and is as follows : 

List of applications involving ivaters of Rio Grande drainage, initiated or acted 
upon since passage of reclamation act, to ivit, June 17, 1902. 



Toltec Canal Co.: 

Taos Valley Canal 

Cove Lake Reservoir 

Alta Lake Reservoir 

Taos Valley Canal No. 2 

Taos Valley Lateral No. 1 

E. J., J. H., and C. S. Shaw, and E. Stout, reservoir. 

Ute Lake Reservoir 



Location. 



G. T. Robb 

L. Regan, reservoir 

Rio Grande Reservoir & Ditch Co.: 

Reservoir 

Ditch 

Continental Land & Irrigation Co., reservoir. 



T.33N., Rs. 9, 10 E 

Tps. 32, 33 N., R. 10 E.. 

T.32N., R.9E 

Tps.32,33N.,Rs.9,10E. 

T. 32 N., Rs. 9, 10 E 

/Sec. 6, T. 38 N., R.2E.. 
\Sec.31, T.39N., R.2E. 

Sec. 14, T.39N., R.5W 
New Mexico principal 
meridian. 

Unsurveyed 

/Sec. 31, T.41N., R.3W. 
\Sec.36, T.41N., R.4W. 



T.41 N.,R.2W.... 
T.41 N., Rs. 2, 3 W. 
T.42N., R.3W.... 



Remarks. 



San Luis Valley Reservoir Co., reservoir. 



Conejos County Valley Reservoir Co.: 

Elk Creek Reservoir No. 1 

Elk Creek Reservoir No. 2 

Union Reservoir & Ditch, Albert L. Smith et al.: 

Reservoir 

Ditch and tunnel 

Bennett Creek Park Reservoir, Thos. A. Good, reser- 
voir. 
Rio Grande Reservoir, A. V. Tabor 



North Clear Creek Reservoir, F. W. Bosco and C. 

Miller. 
J. Davies, reservoir 



T. 39 N., R.3E. 



T.33N., R.5E.... 
T. 34 N., Rs. 4, 5E. 



Grace Reservoir site: A. F. Fulington and M. A. 
Hot Springs Reservoirs 1 and 2, Wm. J. Palmer — 



Tps. 33, 34 N., R.8E... 

T. 33 N., Rs. 7, 8E 

T.37N., R.5E 

Tps. 40, 41 N., R. 4W.. 

/T.41N., R.3 W 

\T.42N., R.3 W 

T.43N., R.2W 

T. 41 N., R. 4W 

T.39N.,R.l W 



Conejos Reservoir, A. Jacob 

Elk Creek Reservoir, C. A. Galbreath. 
C. Keck, reservoir 



T. 33N 

L T. 34 N., R. 5E. 
fT. 40 N., R. 2 E. 
[T. 40 N., R. 3 E. 
T. 38 N., R. 3 E. 



Act Mar. 3, 1891 (26 Stat., 
1095); approved Feb. 
18, 1909. 

\Approved Oct. 26, 1907; 
/ act Mar. 3, 1891. 

(Accepted for filing Sept. 
25, 1907; act Mar. 3, 
1891. 

\Suspended; act Mar. 3, 
f 1891. 

\ Approved Nov. 16, 1907; 
J act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved Apr. 22, 1908; 

act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved June 2, 1908; 
act Mar. 3, 1891. 

\Approved Nov. 22, 1907; 
/ act Mar. 3, 1891. 

\Approved Dec. 13, 1906; 
J act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved Sept. 11, 1907; 

act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved Nov. 19, 1907; 
act Mar. 3, 1891. 

Act Mar. 3,1891; rejected. 

Approved Apr. 12, 1910; 

act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved Mar. 25, 1907; 

act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved Oct. 28, 1908, 
and Nov. 9, 1908; act 
Mar. 3, 1891. 
\Act Mar. 3, 1891; re- 
j jected. 

\Approved Dec. 5, 1910; 
f act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Approved Apr. 16, 1908; 
act Mar. 3, 1891. 



WATERS OF THE EIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 



19 



List of applications involving waters of Rio Grande drainage, etc. — Continued. 



J. H. Poage, reservoir 

Red River Land & Water Co., canals 

San Luis Valley Irrigation Land & Power Co., reser 

voir. 
C. G. Emery, reservoir, ditch, and pipe line 

Yerno Development Co., ditches 



South Fork Reservoir Co., reservoir 

Atlantic ditches 

Gabino Gallegos et al. , ditch 

Stanley Land & Irrigation Co., reservoir 

American Power lines 

Show Creek Reservoir 



Location. 



T. 38 N., R. 3E 

T. 28 S 

T.29S 

T. 30 S 

k T. 3N., Rs. 12 and 13 E 
T. 36 N., R. 6E 

Unsurveyed 

From sec. 14, T. 28 S., 
R. 73 W., sixth prin- 
cipal meridian, to sec. 
28, T. 37N.,R. 12 E., 
New Mexico principal 
meridian. 

T.39N.,R. 2E 

Tps. 39, 40 N., R. 4E.. 
T. 35 N., R. 8 E 

T. 11 N.,R. 10 E 

T. 40N.,Rs. 4 and 5 W 

T.39N.,R. 4E 



Remarks. 



Approved Feb. 18, 1907 
act Mar. 3, 1891. 

Approved Sept. 9, 1908 
[ act Mar. 3, 1891. 

Approved June 1, 1908 

act Mar. 3, 1891. 
Permission granted Oct, 

28, 1907; act Feb. 15 

1901. 
Abandoned. 



Act Mar. 3, 1891; re- 
jected. 

Pending; act Mar. 3, 1891. 

Rejected; act Mar. 3, 
1891. 

Act Mar. 3, 1891; re- 
jected. 

Act Feb. 15, 1901; re- 
jected. 

Pending; act Mar. 3, 1891. 



Right of icay — Reservoir site — Jurisdiction of Land Department. 

Francis W. Bosco et al. 

Whether the United States has a prior, superior and paramount claim to waters of the 
Rio Grande to the extent necessary to enable it to keep its treaty obligations with 
the Republic of Mexico with reference to the delivery of such waters is a question 
not within the competency of the Land Department to determine, and the Secretary 
of the Interior will not embarrass the decision of such question, nor the fulfillment of 
tiie Nation's obligations under such treaty, by approving applications for rights of 
way under the act of March 3, 1891, which rest upon the appropriation of such 
waters under State laws and their proposed diversion to other and adverse uses. 

The extent of the grant made by the act of March 3, 1891, is defined by the statute, and 
the Secretary of the Interior is not authorized to accord a qualified approval of 
applications filed thereunder for the purpose of limiting the estate thereby granted. 

First Assistant Secretarv Pierce to the Commissioner of the General Land Office, 
(F. W. C.) July 19, 1910. (G. B. G.) 

This is the appeal of Francis W. Bosco and Cyrus Miller from your office de- 
cision of November 5, 1909, rejecting their joint application of July 8, 1909, 
under sections 18 to 21, inclusive, of the act of March 3, 1891 (26 -Stat., 1101^, 
and section 2 of the act of May 11, 1898 (30 Stat., 404), for right of way for 
the Wagon Wheel Gap Reservoir, involving certain lands in Mineral County, 
Del Norte land district, Colorado. 

The decision appealed from rests wholly upon a report of the Director of the 
Reclamation Service October 19, 1909, which stated that " The approval of 
said application would constitute a serious interference with the Rio Grande 
project now under consideration," and recommended that the application be 
rejected. The merits of the case were not discussed in said decision, and it may 
be here stated that your office raises no question as to the technical sufficiency 
of the application, and no such question has been mooted before the department. 

The applicants were accorded, and had, an oral hearing, and the case was 
most elaborately argued and has been most carefully considered, more especially 
as it involves some important and far-reaching questions. As preliminary to a 
consideration of these questions, it should be stated that the application of 
Bosco and Miller is predicated upon alleged prior appropriation of waters of 
the upper Rio Grande, in the State of Colorado, sufficient to supply the pro- 
posed reservoir, which will hold, when completed, according to the survey 
thereof, 994,000 acre-feet of water, and this survey covers certain public lands 
of the United States upon which the applicants must secure a right of way 
under Federal laws. They seek to do this by the filing of maps under the pro- 
visions of the act of March 3, 1891, supra, for the approval of the Secretary of 
the Interior. The objection to such approval rests upon certain important and 
vital interests of the United States in the waters of the Rio Grande, in connec- 
tion with its irrigation project in New Mexico, known as the Engle Dam project, 



20 WATERS OF THE BIO GRANDE AND ITS TBIBUTABIES. 

and the proposed storage of waters therein to the keeping of certain treaty obli- 
gations to the Republic of Mexico. 

A controversy some time arose between the United States and the Republic 
of Mexico relative to use of the waters of the Rio Grande, and was existent on 
December 5, 1896, when, because of such controversy, the then Secretary of the 
Interior promulgated the following order, addressed to the Commissioner of the 
General Land Office : 

" Your office is hereby directed to suspend action on any and all applications 
for right of way through public lands for the purpose of irrigation by using 
the waters of the Rio Grande River, or any of its tributaries, in the State of 
Colorado or in the Territory of New Mexico, until further instructed by this 
department." 

There were subsequent modifications of this order, but for the purposes of 
this case they are unimportant, except the last order on the subject, April 25, 
1907, to which attention will be hereinafter given. 

May 21, 1906, there was signed at Washington a convention between these 
sovereignties, article 1 of which is as follows : 

"After the completion of the proposed storage dam near Engle, N. Mex., and 
the distributing system auxiliary thereto, and as soon as water shall be avail- 
able in said system for the purpose, the United States shall deliver to Mexico a 
total of 60,000 acre-feet of water annually, in the bed of the Rio Grande at the 
point where the head works form Acequia Madre, known as the Old Mexican 
Canal, now existing above the city of Juarez, Mexico." 

This convention was dulv ratified by the contracting parties, and was pro- 
claimed by the President of the United States January 16, 1907 (34 Stat., 2953). 
To carry out this treaty stipulation " in connection with the irrigation project 
on the Rio Grande," Congress, by the act of June 4, 1907 (34 Stat., 1357), appro- 
priated the sum of $1,000,000 toward the construction of a dam on said river, 
and it appears from a report by the Director of the Geological Survey, April 27, 
1910, that about $500,000 has been expended in connection with the Engle Dam. 
The total estimated cost of the project, including the dam, is $7,000,000 to 
$8,000,000. It further appears from said report that on June 27, 1906. the Sec- 
retary of the Interior entered into a contract with the Elephant-Butte Water 
Users' Association and the El Paso Water Users' Association providing for the 
construction of the Engle Dam project by the United States, and the repayment 
of the cost of such construction by these associations. In this status of the 
matter, on April 25. 1907, the then Secretary of the Interior approved a recom- 
mendation bv the Director of the Reclamation Service as follows : 

" I therefore recommend that the department lay down the general policy that 
until the development of irrigation on the upper Rio Grande in the State of 
Colorado and the Territory of New Mexico shall furnish sufficient data to deter- 
mine the effect of the storage and diversion of water in that vicinity upon the 
water supply for the Engle Reservoir of the Rio Grande project, no further 
rights of way be approved which involve the storage or diversion of waters of 
the upper Rio Grande and its tributaries, except applications of two kinds: 
First, those in connection with which there is a showing that the rights of 
parties were initiated prior to the beginning of active operations by the Recla- 
mation Service for the Rio Grande project, namely, March 1, 1903; second, 
applications which involve the diversion or storage of not exceeding 1,000 acre- 
feet of water per annum. When it becomes possible to determine the effect of 
the approved applications upon the water available for storage from the Rio 
Grande project, it may be possible to allow the use of rights of way to a greater 
extent than is now supposed." 

Manifestlv, if this order was within the competency of the Secretary ot the 
Interior to 'make, and is to stand, it results that the pending application of 
Bosco and Miller must be rejected. The application does not come within either 
of the exceptions named in said order, and may not be allowed except m viola- 
tion thereof After a most painstaking consideration of the entire subject with 
reference to the situation presented, the department can not see its way clear 
to approve this application. It may, for the purpose of this case, be admitted 
that under ordinarv circumstances the Secretary of the Interior is without dis- 
cretion to withhold his approval of an application filed conformably to the act 
of March 3, 1891. But manifestly, here is a situation unusual and critical, wincn 
demands the exercise of such discretion. The paramount rights and interests 
of the United States are vitally involved in this proceeding. No question ot tbe 
authority of the United States can well be urged in this proceeding. Ihe power 
to make' treaties with foreign nations has been delegated by the States to the 
Nation, and is exclusive; and it is well settled that where such a power has been 



WATERS OF THE RIO GRANDE AND ITS TRIBUTARIES. 21 

delegated the grant carries with it all subsidiary powers necessary to its 
exercise : 

" ' Let the end be legitimate, let it be within the scope of the Constitution, 
and all means which are appropriate, which are plainly adapted to that end, 
which are not prohibited, but consist with the letter and spirit of the Constitu- 
tion, are constitutional.' * * * From this and other declarations it is clear 
that the Constitution is not to be construed technically and narrowly, as an 
indictment, or even as a grant presumably against the interest of the grantor, 
and passing only that which is clearly included within its language, but as 
creating a system of government whose provisions are designed to make effective 
and operative all the governmental powers granted." (Kansas v. Colorado, 206 
U. S., 46, 88.) 

Moreover, the question is one not within the competency of the Land Depart- 
ment to determine, and this is sufficient reason to justify that department in 
refusing to take any action which might in any way embarrass the United 
States in fulfilling its treaty obligations, or further complicate a question it is 
without right or jurisdiction to decide. It is not overlooked that the contention 
is made upon this record, and was presented at length at the oral hearing, that 
the diversion of water necessary to carry the Wagon Wheel Gap project to com- 
pletion will in nowise interfere with the storage of the necessary waters by the 
United States Engle Dam, to enable it to keep both its treaty obligations with 
the Republic of Mexico and its contractual obligations with the water users 
associations above referred to. The department is by no means convinced that 
this is true, and in the absence of such conviction it is believed to be the duty 
of the Secretary of the Interior to exercise such discretion as is necessary to 
protect the interests of the United States. 

At the oral hearing it was suggested on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior 
that, in the event of a determination of the legality of the suggestion, if the 
applicants would accept an approval qualified by such language as would protect 
the interest of the United States in the Engle Dam project, such qualified ap- 
proval might be accorded. Counsel for the applicants were not at that time 
able to answer as to whether the applicants would be willing to accept such 
qualified approval, and since that time the Secretary of the Interior has caused 
to be exn mined the law with reference to this question, and in an opinion by the 
Assistant Attorney General for this department, June 14, 1910, referring to the 
essentially similar act of March 3, 1875, granting rights of way through the 
public lands of the United States to railroad companies in a case where it was 
sought to impose a limitation upon the approval of the Secretary provided for 
by that act, it was said : 

" The statute defined the extent of the grant, and in my opinion, upon com- 
pliance with the requirements of the law, the Secretary of the Interior is with- 
out power either to expand or limit the same: the restriction being unlawful 
can accomplish nothing and is unenforceable." 

In the present case, the question is resolved into whether the aforesaid order 
of April 25, 1907, reserving public lands on the waters of the Rio Grande from 
appropriation under the act of March 3, 1891, will be permitted to stand. As to 
the legality of such withdrawals there would seem to be no doubt ; at any rate, 
for reasons already stated, this department is not disposed to question their 
legality. If a serious question might have been made as to their legality in 
connection with the irrigation project of the United States in New Mexico 
standing alone, still it seems plain that if the withdrawal of these lands was 
necessary to enable the United States to keep its treaty obligation with the 
Republic of Mexico (a fact which has already been determined), there would 
seem to be little room for question that the withdrawals were legally justifiable 
upon that ground alone. However this may be, the executive arm of the Gov- 
ernment has determined to uphold this policy to the extent of its power, and 
these questions may well be left to the courts, where they may ultimately go. 
There are involved in this case certain other kindred questions, among which is 
that of priority of appropriation of waters, the legality of appropriations by the 
United States, and lack of diligence in appropriation to a beneficial use. It 
might be argued with considerable force that the aforesaid treaty with Mexico 
in itself amounted to an appropriation of these waters to the extent of 600,000 
acre-feet — an appropriation by the highest authority. But these questions also 
must finally be resolved by the courts. In the meantime the Government pro- 
poses to push the Engle Dam project to completion with all possible dispatch ; 
and to the end that it may be successfully operated and maintained, the with- 
drawal of April 25, 1907, will not be disturbed. 

The decision appealed from is affirmed. 



[Keprint from House Doc. No. 1262, Sixty-first Congress, third session.] 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
UNITED STATES, TRANSMITTING A REPORT 
OF THE BOARD OF ARMY ENGINEERS IN 
RELATION TO THE RECLAMATION FUND. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Message op the President 9 

Report op the Board 13 

Section I. Letter of transmittal 13 

Water supply 15 

Land 16 

Cost 16 

Estimates 16 

Returns to the reclamation fund 17 

Ownership of land 18 

II. Salt River project, Arizona 22 

Location and description 22 

Transportation 23 

Construction features 23 

Water supply 25 

Lands 26 

Cost 27 

Power 28 

Summary 29 

III. Yuma project, Arizona-California 29 

Location 29 

Description 29 

Water supply 30 

Lands 31 

Lands now irrigated 32 

Costs 32 

Returns to the reclamation fund 32 

Comment 33 

Summary 33 

IV. Orland project, California 34 

Location 34 

Description 34 

Water supply 35 

Lands 35 

Cost 35 

Extensions 36 

Stony Gorge reservoir 36 

Stonyford reservoir 36 

Briscoe reservoir 37 

Summary 38 

V. Grand Valley project, Colorado , 38 

Location 38 

Description 38 

j Transportation facilities 39 

< Water supply 39 

Lands 40 

Cost of project 40 

Comments 41 

Summary 42 

VI. Uncompahgre project, Colorado 43 

Location 43 

Early irrigation in valley 43 

Description 43 

Water 44 

Land 44 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

Report of the Board — Continued. 

Sec. VI. Uncompahgre project, Colorado — Continued. Page. 

Engineering structures 45 

Cost 45 

Returns to reclamation fund 46 

Summary 46 

VII. Minidoka project, Idaho 46 

Inspection 46 

Location 47 

Description 47 

Water supply 48 

Lands 48 

Cost 49 

Comments. 50 

Summary 50 

VIII. Boise project, Idaho 51 

Location 51 

Description 51 

Water supply 52 

Lands 54 

Cost 55 

Comments 56 

Summary 56 

IX. Garden City project, Kansas 57 

Location 57 

Description 57 

Water supply 57 

Lands 59 

Present conditions 60 

Costs 61 

Summary 61 

X. Huntley project, Montana 62 

Location 62 

Description , 62 

Water supply 63 

Lands 63 

Operation and maintenance 63 

Costs 64 

Extensions 64 

Summary 65 

XL Milk River project, Montana 65 

Location - 65 

Description 65 

River systems -. 65 

Diversion canal 66 

Storage 66 

Milk River 66 

Chain Lakes Reservoir 67 

Nelson Reservoir 67 

Chinook Diversion Dam 67 

Chinook North and South Canals 67 

Dodson Diversion Dam and Head works 67 

Dodson North and South Canals 67 

Nelson Reservoir, South and North Canals 67 

Vandalia Dam 67 

Vandalia Canal 68 

Comments on engineering structures 68. 

Water supply 68 

Lands 69 

Costs 70 

Comments 71 

Summary 71 

XII. Sun River project, Montana 72 

Location 72 

Description 72 

Water supply 73 

Land 74 

Fort Shaw unit 74 



CONTENTS. 5 

Report op the Board — Continued. 

Sec. XII. Sun Kiver project, Montana — Continued. Page. 

Engineering structures 75 

Comments 75 

Costs and estimates 76 

Summary 77 

XIII. Lower Yellowstone project, Montana and North Dakota 77 

Location 77 

Description 77 

Water supply 78 

Lands 78 

Completion of the system 80 

Returns to the reclamation fund 80 

Summary 81 

XIV. North Platte project, Wyoming and Nebraska 81 

Location 81 

Description 81 

Engineering features 82 

Water supply 83 

Lands 83 

Lands in the interstate unit 84 

Lands in the Goshen Park unit 84 

Cost 85 

Comments - 86 

Summary 86 

XV. Truckee-Carson project, Nevada 87 

Location and description 87 

Transportation facilities 88 

Construction features . ■ 88 

Water supply 88 

Lands 90 

Cost 90 

Comment 91 

Summary 91 

XVI. Carlsbad project, New Mexico 92 

Location 92 

Purchase 92 

Description 92 

Water supply 94 

Lands 95 

Proposed extension and improvement 96 

Returns to the reclamation fund 97 

Summary 97 

XVII. Hondo project, New Mexico 98 

Location , 98 

Description 98 

Water supply 99 

Cost 101 

Proposed betterments 101 

Summary 102 

XVIII. Rio Grande project, New Mexico-Texas 103 

Location 103 

Description 103 

Water supply 105 

Lands 106 

Cost 106 

Comments 107 

Summary 108 

XIX. Missouri River pumping units, North Dakota. Unity of proj- 
ects 108 

Location 109 

Description 109 

Water supply 110 

Lands 110 

Operation and maintenance 112 

Costs 112 

Completion and extension 113 

Summary 113 



6 CONTENTS. 

Report of the Board — Continued. Page. 

Sec. XX. Umatilla project, Oregon 114 

Location and description 114 

Water supply 115 

Lands 116 

Cost of the project 117 

Eeturns to the reclamation fund 117 

West extension 117 

Summary 118 

XXI. Klamath project, Oregon and California 119 

Location 119 

Historical 119 

Description of present project 121 

Lower project uplands 121 

Tule Lake subdivision 121 

Marsh lands .' 122 

Upper subproject 122 

Modoc subproject 123 

Water supply 123 

Lands 124 

Costs 125 

Comments 126 

Summary 126 

XXII. Belle Fourche project, South Dakota 127 

Location and description 127 

Water supply 128 

Land 129 

Distribution system 129 

Returns to the reclamation fund 130 

Comments 130 

Summary 130 

XXIII. Strawberry Valley project, Utah 131 

Location 131 

Description 131 

Engineering structures 132 

Water supply 132 

Duty of water 132 

Lands 133 

Cost 134 

Proposed extensions 134 

Summary 135 

XXIV. Okanogan project, Washington 136 

Location 136 

Description 136 

Watersupply 136 

Lands 136 

Cost 137 

Extensions 137 

Summary 138 

XXV. Yakima project, Washington 138 

Location 138 

Description 138 

Water supply 139 

Reservoirs 140 

CleElumLake 140 

Keechelus Lake 140 

Kachess Lake 140 

McAllister's meadow 141 

Bumping Lake 141 

Sunnyside unit 141 

Location and description 141 

Water supply 142 

Lands 142 

Cost 142 

Returns to the reclamation fund — 142 

Comments 143 



CONTENTS. 7 

Report of the Board — Continued. Page. 
Sec. XXV. Yakima project, Washington — Continued. 

Tietonunit 143 

Location 143 

Description 144 

Water supply 144 

Lands 144 

Cost 144 

Kittitas unit 145 

Location 145 

Description 145 

Water supply 145 

Lands 145 

Cost 146 

Wapato unit 146 

Location 146 

Description 146 

Water supply 146 

Lands 147 

Cost 147 

Comments 147 

Benton unit 147 

Summary 148 

XXVI. Shoshone project, Wyoming 150 

Location 150 

Description 150 

Water supply 151 

Land.... 151 

Engineering structures 152 

Cost 152 

Comments 153 

Summary 154 

Appendixes 157 

Appendix to Section V. Grand Valley project 157 

Water supply 157 

Duty of water 158 

Appendix to Section VI. Uncompahgre project 159 

Water supply 159 

Duty of water 159 

Appendix No. 1 to Section VII. Minidoka project 160 

Minidoka diverting and reservoir dam — 160 

Power house 161 

Main units 161 

Exciters 161 

Transformers 161 

Switchboard 162 

Transmission line 162 

Pumping stations 162 

Station No. 1 162 

Commercial-power substations 162 

Appendix No. 2 to Section VII. Minidoka project 163 

Water supply 163 

Methods of computing 164 

Appendix No. 1 to Section VIII. Boise project 165 

Deer Flat reservoir embankments, upper and lower 165 

Appendix No. 2 to Section VIII. Report of committee 166 

Examined site for Boise River storage reservoir 166 

Appendix to Section XL Milk River project 167 

Water supply 167 

Appendix No. 1 to Section XII. Sun River project 170 

Dams and reservoirs: 

Warmsprings reservoir and dam 170 

Willow Creek dam and reservoir 171 



8 CONTENTS. 

Appendixes — Continued. Page. 

Appendix No. 2 to Section XII. Sun River project 172 

Water supply 172 

Storage reservoirs 173 

Records of rainfall and run-off 173 

Duty of water 174 

Private water rights 174 

Available water supply 174 

Appendix to Section XIII. Lower Yellowstone diversion dam 179 

Description 179 

Headworks 180 

Pile driving 180 

Costs 180 

Appendix to Section XIV. North Platte project, Wyoming and Nebraska. 181 

Appendix to Section XV. Truckee-Carson project 186 

Water supply 186 

Appendix to Section XXI. Water supply 188 

Appendix to Section XXII. Belle Fourche project 190 

Reservoir dam 190 

Comment 191 

Appendix No. 1 to Section XXV. Water supply 191 

Appendix No. 2 to Section XXV. McAllister Meadows reservoir site .... 194 

Appendix No. 3 to Section XXV. Bumping Lake reservoir 194 

Appendix to Section XXVI. Shoshone project, Wyoming 195 

Water supply 195 

Prior rights 196 



FUND TOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT. 

To the Senate and House of Representatives : 

The act of Congress approved June 17, 1902 (32 Stats., 388), set 
apart as a fund for the reclamation of arid lands the moneys re- 
ceived from the sales of public lands in certain of the States and 
Territories, excepting the 5 per cent of the proceeds of such sales 
theretofore set aside by law for educational and other purposes. 
The receipts into the reclamation fund to June 30, 1909, were 
$58,439,408.93, and the estimated total receipts to June 30, 1910, are 
$65,714,179.06. The total amount accumulated in the fund to date 
is estimated at $69,449,058.76, of which all but $6,241,058.76 has been 
allotted to the several projects. On June 30, 1910, the net invest- 
ment in reclamation works amounted to $53,781,302.88, of which 
$52,945,441.03 had on June 30, 1910, been expended in the following 
primary projects: 



States. 



Project. 



Net invest- 
ment. 



Arizona 

Arizona-California 

California 

Arizona-California 

Colorado 

Do 

Idaho 

Do 

Do 

Kansas 

Montana 

Do 

Do 

Do 

Montana- North Dakota. 

Nebraska-Wyoming 

Nevada 

New Mexico 

Do 

Do 

New Mexico-Texas 

North Dakota 

Do 

Oklahoma 

Oregon. 

Oregon-California 

South Dakota 

Utah 

Washington 

Do 

Wyoming 



Salt River 

Colorado River 

Orland 

Yuma 

Grand Valley 

Uncompahgre 

Boise 

Minidoka 

Snake River storage. 

Garden City 

Huntley 

Milk River 

St. Mary 

Sun River 

Lower Yellowstone. 

North Platte 

Truckee-Carson 

Carlsbad 

Hondo 

Leasburg 

Rio Grande 

Buford- Trenton 

Williston 

Cimarron 

Central Oregon 

Umatilla 

Klamath 

Bellefourche 

Strawberry Valley. . 

Okanogan 

Yakima 

Shoshone 



430, 959. 16 

44,201.97 
378, 603. 11 
781,355.19 

73, 110. 38 
166, 639. 04 
373, 292. 30 
900, 896. 56 

69, 142. 75 
378, 316. 07 
854, 420. 36 
519, 387. 23 
265, 874. 03 
599, 958. 59 
888, 899. 93 
609, 476. 50 
975, 976. 42 
617, 665. 56 
346, 024. 76 
193, 418. 82 

76, 060. 58 

278, 294. 40 

528,171.31 

8, 873. 17 

40, 133. 44 
155, 983. 22 
830,600.39 
313,525.22 
913, 177. 91 
538,281.41 
116, 333. 48 
378,387.87 



Total. 



52,945,441.03 



In addition, there had been invested in secondary projects June 30, 
1910, $587,390.71; in town-site development, $10,955.49; in Indian 
irrigation, $198,704.21 ; and for general expenses, $38,811.44. 



10 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

The reclamation act requires the return to the reclamation fund of 
the estimated cost of construction, and therefore entrymen and pri- 
vate landowners receiving water from such projects are required to 
contribute their proportion of the cost of construction, operation, 
and maintenance of the projects wherein their lands are located. The 
total cash returns to the reclamation fund from water right building 
charges to June 30, 1910, were $902,822.25, and from water right 
operation and maintenance charges, $249,637.19. In addition, there 
was to June 30, 1910, an additional revenue of $2,086,173.73 derived 
from sales of town lots, sales of water, leases of power, etc., which are 
under the law credited as a reduction of the cost of the project from 
which the receipts are derived. On June 30, 1910, the Government 
was prepared to supply water in reclamation projects to 876,684 
acres of land, and the area of lands included in the projects now under 
construction amounts to over 3,100,000 acres. No new projects have 
been undertaken since March 4, 1909, the efforts of the Government 
having been directed toward the completion of the 30 primary proj- 
ects theretofore undertaken. 

The additions to the reclamation fund from the sales of public 
land, while approximating between six and seven million dollars per 
annum since 1902, were found to be insufficient for the completion of 
existing projects with such expedition as the necessities of the settlers 
and land owners within the projects undertaken seemed to require. 
I accordingly recommended the issuance of certificates of indebted- 
ness or bonds against the reclamation fund. The act of June 25, 
1910 (36 Stats., 835), which authorized the issuance of not exceeding 
$20,000,000 of certificates of indebtedness repayable out of the recla- 
mation fund, made the appropriation subject to the conditions that it 
should be expended upon existing projects and their necessary 
extensions, and that no part of the same should be expended until 
after the projects had been examined and reported upon by a board 
of Army engineer officers of the United States Army and approved by 
me as feasible, practicable, and worthy. The board of engineers se- 
lected spent the summer in field examinations of the projects and has 
submitted to me its report upon each of the projects heretofore under- 
taken, together with recommendations as to the allotment of the pro- 
ceeds of the certificates authorized to be issued. In addition, pur- 
suant to my request, the board has submitted its recommendations for 
the allotment of that part of the reclamation fund derived from the 
sales of public lands to supplement the $20,000,000 loan and to carry 
on worthy projects not participating in the distribution of the loan. 

The report of the board is based not only upon its field examination 
of the various projects but upon information derived from personal 
conference with the field officers and employees of the Reclamation 
Service and data furnished by such officers and employees. In addi- 
tion, settlers, landowners, and other parties interested in the projects 
were given an opportunity to be heard. The feasibility of the 
projects was considered from an engineering and economic stand- 
point, the board giving consideration to the character of the projects, 
whether international, interstate, or intrastate, the relative amounts 
of public and private lands capable of irrigation, the money already 
expended, the necessity of completion of the projects in order to 
secure its return, the existing contracts or agreements with water 
users' associations and private individuals, and the protection of water 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION" OF ARID LANDS. 11 

rights. The board also points out the importance of certain addi- 
tional legislation authorizing the sale of surplus stored water and 
the modification of conditions of payments for water rights on certain 
projects which will otherwise fail of returning their cost to the recla- 
mation fund. The Secretary of the Interior in his annual report to 
me has recommended similar legislation. 

The board recommended the allotment of the $20,000,000 provided 
by the act of June 25, 1910, to the following-named projects: 

Salt River, Ariz $495, 000 

Yuma, Ariz, and Cal 1, 200, 000 

Grand Valley, Colo 1, 000, 000 

Uncompahgre, Colo 1, 500, 000 

Payette-Boise, Idaho 2, 000, 000 

Milk River, Mont 1, 000, 000 

North Platte, Wyo. and Nebr 2, 000, 000 

Truckee-Carson, Nev 1, 193, 000 

Rio Grande, N. Mex., Tex., and Mex 4, 500, 000 

Umatilla, Oreg 325, 000 

Klamath, Oreg. and Cal 600, 000 

Strawberry Valley, Utah 2, 272, 000 

Sunnyside \ Yakima Wash { 1, 250, 000 

Tieton_ J Yakima > VV ash _j m ^ Q0Q 

Total 20, 000, 000 

and that the interest on the loan as provided by said act be charged 
against the projects on the amounts contributed for their completion. 
The recommendation of the board for the tentative allotment of the 
general reclamation fund among the various projects for the years 
1911 to 1914, inclusive, was as follows: 

Yuma $2, 380, 462 

Grand Valley (conditional) 500,000 

Uncompahgre 2, 045, 000 

Minidoka 528, 000 

Payette-Boise : ± 4, 585, 435 

Huntley 110, 000 

Milk River 2, 950, 000 

Sun River 3, 278, 000 

Lower Yellowstone (conditional) 578,000 

North Platte 2, 185, 000 

Truckee-Carson 1, 594, 000 

Rio Grande 1,855, 000 

Missouri pumping (conditional) 270,000 

Belle Fourche 480, 000 

Okanogan 13, 000 

Shoshone 2, 000, 000 

Total 25, 351, 897 

No allotments either from the loan or from the general reclamation 
fund were recommended for the following projects, except for neces- 
sary maintenance and operation : Orland, Cal. ; Garden City, Kans. ; 
Kittitas, Wapato, Benton (Yakima project), Wash.; Carlsbad, 
N. Mex. ; Hondo, N. Mex. 

The last-named projects are, with the exception of the Kittitas, 
Wapato, and Benton units of the Yakima project, completed or nearly 
completed. With respect to the said three units of the Yakima 
project, the board recommended development of a general system of 
storage reservoirs for the Yakima Valley, provided Congress au- 
thorizes the sale of excess stored water, so that the return of the cost 
of building of reservoirs may be secured, but did not recommend any 



12 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

allotment of funds for the construction of reservoirs or canals spe- 
cifically for the said units. 

After careful consideration of the report of the Board of Engi- 
neers, I approved the same, believing that it sets forth a plan for the 
distribution of the loan and of the available reclamation fund, that, 
from an engineering and economic standpoint, will best secure the 
speedy completion of those projects, which, because of their character, 
the needs of the settlers, treaty or interstate relations, protection of 
water rights, and prompt return to the reclamation fund of the 
moneys invested, should be given the preference in construction and 
completion over such projects or parts of projects which are more 
remote and may properly wait until a later date for construc- 
tion or may secure water through private canals in the event the 
Government is authorized to dispose of surplus water to the owners of 
such canals. My approval, however, is subject to the condition that 
the amounts allotted to the various projects may be adjusted and 
modified from time to time, as is found necessary for the intelligent 
and proper prosecution of the work and the advantage of the service. 
1 have authorized the Secretary of the Interior to call upon the Sec- 
retary of the Treasury from time to time, as the same are needed, for 
the funds provided for by the act of June 25, 1910, in accordance with 
the allotments recommended by the board and approved by me. 

Pursuant to the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior 
and of the Board of Army Engineers, I earnestly recommend the en- 
actment of a law which will permit of the disposition of any surplus 
stored water available from reclamation projects to persons, associa- 
tions, or corporations operating systems for the delivery of water to 
individual water users for the irrigation of arid lands and the enact- 
ment of legislation which will give executive authority for the modifi- 
cation of conditions of payment for water rights on certain of the 
projects where, by reason of local conditions, the return of the cost 
of the projects to the reclamation fund will not be secured unless 
settlers are permitted to make payments on terms or conditions other 
than those specified in the public notices heretofore issued. In this 
connection attention is directed to the provisions of Senate bill 6842 
now pending. Attention is also directed to the other legislation per- 
taining to reclamation projects recommended by the Secretary of the 
Interior, which legislation would aid in the administration of the re- 
clamation projects. 

With the funds now at our disposal and the enactment of the addi- 
tional legislation suggested, it is hoped that the work upon the several 
projects for which allotments have been made, may proceed to an 
early completion and that the settlers and water users upon the pro- 
jects upon being furnished with water for the irrigation of their lands 
may be enabled to return to the Treasury the sums expended in the 
construction of the projects. In accordance with the requirements of 
section 2 of the reclamation act, the Secretary of the Interior has al- 
ready transmitted to Congress the ninth annual report of the [Rec- 
lamation Service, and in order that Congress may be placed in pos- 
session of all the information at hand to date with reference to the 
reclamation projects and the estimated cost of their completion I 
transmit herewith for its further information a copy of the said re- 
port of the Board of Army Engineers. 

Wm. H. Taft. 

The White House, January 5, 1911. 



I 



KEPOKT OF THE BOAKD. 
Section I. 

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 

Washington, D. C, November 0£, 1910. 

The board of officers of the Corps of Engineers of the United 
States Army detailed to inspect the various reclamation projects 
has the honor to submit the following report: 

2. The board was convened by Special Orders No. 156, War 
Department, July 6, 1910, and directed to report to the Secretary 
of the Interior. The duties of the board, as originally outlined, are 
contained in the following letter of instructions : 

Department of the Interior, 

Washington, July 21, 1910. 
Col. John Biddle, 

Corps of Engineers, United States Army, 

President Board of Army Engineers on Reclamation Projects, 

Washington, D. G. 

Sir: I have the honor to instruct the Board of Army Engineers, constituted 
under the provisions of an act of Congress, entitled "An act to authorize 
advances to the reclamation fund * * * and for other purposes," approved 
June 25, 1910, as follows : 

The act itself indicates the scope and functions of the board in the follow- 
ing language: "And provided further, That no part of this appropriation 
shall be expended upon any existing project until it shall have been examined 
and reported upon by a board of engineer officers of the Army, designated by 
the President of the United States, and until it shall be approved by the 
President as feasible and practicable and worthy of such expenditure; nor 
shall any portion of this appropriation be expended upon any new project," 
and is interpreted by me to require such examinations of existing projects and 
methods, and of works and layouts on the ground as will enable the board to 
intelligently judge of the practicability of the project in an engineering sense, 
and to report facts and opinions deduced therefrom, in sufficient detail, to 
enable the President to judge finally of the feasibility and worthiness of such 
project in an economical sense. 

The board will, at their meeting in Washington, consider such information, 
including printed or written projects, maps, and oral statements, as may be 
obtained by them, and will thereafter report on any projects that in their 
opinion may be finally reported upon without personally visiting the localities 
involved. 

It will visit as a board, or by subdivisions of the board, any and all projects 
concerning which the information obtained is inadequate or unconvincing to 
the board; and in making such personal visits, inspections, and investigations 
the board, or its subdivisions, will first visit preferably the projects upon which 
work is most urgently demanded and in the order of urgency, whenever in its 
opinion the time and expense required in the examination in such order may 
justify. 

Final reports of the board on individual projects should be sent in as soon 
as practicable after conclusions are arrived at to me, through Gen. Marshall, 
consulting engineer, who will indorse his views upon each report in forward- 
ing it to me. 

The board will determine for itself the projects to be actually visited and the 
order in which they will examine them with least hindrance and delay to the 
work of the Reclamation Service and of the War Department. 

The members of the board will, when on duty under this detail, be paid 
their mileage from the reclamation fund. All other necessary expenses will be 
paid them through the War Department. 

13 



14 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Such civilian clerks, qualified as stenographer and typewriter, as may be 
necessary will be detailed to accompany the board. 

This order is in lieu of order approved July 6, 1910, which order is hereby 
vacated. 

Very respectfully, Fbank Pierce, 

Acting Secretary. 
Approved : 

Wm. H. Taft, 

July 28, 1910. 

3. These written instructions were subsequently supplemented by 
oral instructions to investigate all matters connected with the 
Reclamation Service necessary to enable the board to report fully as 
to the conditions and needs of each project; to make recommendations 
as to the abandonment, continuation, or completion of each project; 
and as to the allotment of funds for future work, both from the regu- 
lar reclamation fund and from the $20,000,000 loan. 

4. The board met in Washington, D. C, July 20, 1910, and under- 
took a general study of the scope and conditions of the various 
projects as set forth in the printed reports and records of the 
Reclamation Service, supplemented by oral statements of the director 
made at the request of the board. As a result of the preliminary 
studies it was deemed advisable to inspect all of the projects before 
submitting a report. These inspections were made between July 28 
and October 22, 1910, and, with a few exceptions, all of the projects 
were visited by all members of the board. Public hearings were held 
on each project. 

5. The board was accompanied by the consulting engineer to the 
Secretary of the Interior and over most of the projects by the Director 
of the Reclamation Service. In each of the six geographical divisions 
into which the work is divided the board was also accompanied by 
the supervising engineer in charge of the division. The inspection 
of each project was made under the immediate guidance of the project 
engineer and his principal assistants. Excellent facilities were fur- 
nished by the Reclamation Service, or through it by the citizens liv- 
ing on the projects, which enabled the board to examine thoroughly 
and quickly all desirable features, including both the engineering 
structures and lands. The various railroads passing through the 
projects gave the board every assistance for proceeding rapidly from 
point to point. 

6. In its inspection the board was impressed with the ability of the 
employees occupying positions of responsibility and desires to record 
its appreciation of the assistance rendered by them. 

7. At the requests of the board there was compiled for each project 
a memoir containing a history and description of the project and its 
principal features and pertinent information relative to water supply, 
lands, costs, and estimates. From these memoirs, supplemented by 
the annual reports and certain special communications, the statistical 
data in this report were obtained. 

8. Before proceeding to the detailed consideration of each project 
attention will be invited to certain general features of the work of 
the Reclamation Service. 

9. Twenty-five projects have been undertaken, which involve, in- 
cluding extensions, the irrigation of 3,200,000 acres of arid or semi- 
arid land, at a cost approximately estimated at $145,000,000. About 
$60,000,000 have been expended to date and about 600,000 acres are now 
receiving water. Only part of this area has been formally opened, the 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



15 



remainder receiving water from the Reclamation Service on a rental 
basis or through private canals not yet absorbed in the projects. 

The reclamation fund to date aggregates $65,700,000, which in- 
cludes $964,393 received to September 30, 1910, on account of repay- 
ment of building charges. The accretions to the reclamation fund 
during the next four years, as estimated by the Eeclamation Service, 
are as follows: 



Years. 


Sale of public 
land. 


Repayments. 


Total. 


1911 


§6,000,000 
5,500,000 
4,500,000 
4,000,000 


$1,000,000 
1,500,000 
2,500,000 
3,000,000 


$7,000,000 


1912 


7,000,000 


1913 


7,000,000 


1914 


7,000,000 







11. Structures. — The engineering structures are, as a whole, well 
designed and well built. Some of them, as the Pathfinder Dam, the 
Shoshone Dam, the Roosevelt Dam, and the Gunnison Tunnel, are 
monuments reflecting great credit on both designer and builder. 

12. Some of the high earth dams, such as the Belle Fourche Reser- 
voir Dam, which has a cross section approaching the limit of safety ; 
the Bumping Lake Dam, the material of which is not entirely suit- 
able; and the Lower Deer Flat Reservoir Dam, where the leakage is 
considerable, should be kept under close observation. 

13. In some cases, for example, as the Lower Yellowstone Dam and 
the Laguna Dam, it is believed that equally suitable structures could 
have been constructed at less cost. At one or two places work has 
been pushed to completion under difficulties due to floods and weather, 
when reasonable delay would have effected a considerable saving 
without great detriment to the project. 

14. Modern irrigation being a relatively new art in this country, 
much freedom was allowed local engineers in the design of minor 
structures. While this was a wise policy in the early stages of this 
work, it has resulted in some complicated and unnecessarily expensive 
structures. With the present knowledge of the comparative merits 
of the different types, it is believed that standard designs of the sim- 
plest satisfactory type should be adopted for all minor structures. 

15. Water supply. — The most uncertain feature of nearly all the 
projects is the water supply. This is under State control, and in the 
prosecution of its work the Reclamation Service bears the same rela- 
tion to the State as a private individual or corporation. In each 
case the filings have been made under State laws, and in some States 
special legislation has been enacted to prevent future encroachments 
on the filings of the Reclamation Service. All of the filings made 
by the Reclamation Service are, however, subject to the prior filings 
made by individuals and corporations. Where the water rights have 
been adjudicated the rights of the United States are well defined, 
but elsewhere they are uncertain and may prove to be materially dif- 
ferent from that assumed. 

16. It is recommended that, wherever possible, steps be taken to 
secure an early adjudication of water rights on all projects where 
such adjudications have not yet been made, and that, pending such 
action, expenditures be kept within the probable rights of the United 
States. 



16 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

17. On some projects there is a surplus of stored water, which could 
be advantageously sold if that course were authorized by law. Legis- 
lation with this object in view is now pending in Congress. If the 
sale of surplus water were authorized, certain proposed extensions to 
cover private land by means of pumping could well be left to private 
enterprise. 

18. Land. — In nearly all projects the land proposed to be irrigated 
will, with proper cultivation and treatment, bear the construction and 
operation and maintenance charges. In a few cases the payments will 
be burdensome. In the Garden City and Missouri River pumping 
projects it is asserted by the settlers that the cost of pumping is 
prohibitive, but with better farming methods this condition may be 
changed. 

19. Some complaint was made that the adopted sizes of farm units 
on public land are too small. These vary from 10 acres on part of 
the Umatilla project to 40 and 80 acres on most of the others. The 
size of the farm unit was fixed after consideration of the productive- 
ness of the soil, the climate, and the value of the crops that could be 
raised, the intention being to limit it to an area sufficient for the sup- 
port of a family. In a few cases there appeared to be some justifica- 
tion for the complaints, but further experience is desirable before 
any general changes are made. 

20. Several Government demonstration farms are maintained by 
the Reclamation Service at the expense of the projects on which they 
are located. As a rule, they are not self-supporting, and though 
the cost to the settlers is not large they form a cause of discontent. 
Except when self-supporting and needed to supply vegetables and 
forage for Government use, it is believed that the maintenance of 
such farms should be left to the Agricultural Department. 

21. Cost. — The actual cost of completed work has almost invariably 
exceeded the original estimates, and in the case of some structures has 
been two or three times as large. This increase in cost has been the 
cause of much of the discontent among the settlers. It was partly 
due to a general increase in the cost of labor and materials, partly 
to underestimates and an insufficient allowance for contingencies, and 
partly to the necessity of doing more work than was originally con- 
templated. 

22. Estimates. — The estimates of cost for completion adopted by 
the board are taken from the reports submitted by the supervising 
engineers, supplemented by estimates furnished by the Director of 
the Reclamation Service. These estimates are based on the experi- 
ence gained on work already done. In some cases they are approxi- 
mate only, and will require modification after further surveys and 
studies are made. 

23. Some increase in estimates may be necessary, due to insufficient 
allowance for drainage. This is an important feature of the reclama- 
tion work, particularly when the farmers are not experienced in the 
economical use of water. The actual needs of the work in this respect 
can seldom be foreseen with any definiteness, and in consequence 
drainage on many of the projects has been left to be developed as the 
need arises. 

24. In only a few of the estimates submitted by the Reclamation 
Service has any allowance been made for an interest charge. As 
Interest at the rate of 3 per cent must, under certain conditions, be 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 17 

paid on the whole or part of the $20,000,000 loan authorized by Con- 
gress to the reclamation fund, some additions to the estimates on this 
account will probably be necessary. Assuming that expenditures 
from this fund are made at a uniform rate during five years, that the 
repayments to the Treasury are made at a uniform rate during the 
following five years, and that interest must be paid for the entire 
period, the total interest charge would be equivalent to 3 per cent on 
$10,000,000 for 10 years, or $3,000,000. _ As it has not yet been de- 
termined whether this interest charge is to be spread over all the 
projects or parts of projects upon which the building charge has not 
yet been announced, or whether it is to be confined to projects upon 
which the loan is used, it is impracticable to state its effect on any 
particular project. It is believed, however, that the result of this 
added charge, whichever method is adopted, will not be sufficient to 
adversely affect the feasibility of any of the projects from an 
economic standpoint. 

25. Returns to the reclamation fund. — The reclamation act con- 
templates the return to the fund of the estimated cost of the different 
projects and the work has been prosecuted on that basis. The esti- 
mated cost is held by the Reclamation Service to be that officially 
announced by the Secretary of the Interior when the project is 
opened, and not the preliminary estimates made when the project 
was undertaken, as was assumed by many of the owners of private 
lands within the projects. ^ On the assumption that the announced 
building charge is the estimated cost contemplated by the act, the 
losses to the reclamation fund, except on four of the projects, which 
will be referred to hereafter, will be relatively small, though, by 
reason of the number and large size of some of the projects under- 
taken, the repayments will extend over many years. If, on the 
other hand, the term " estimated cost," as used in the act, should 
hereafter be judicially determined to mean the preliminary estimate 
made when the project was undertaken, very large losses to the fund 
will occur. 

26. In many of the projects the announced building charge on cer- 
tain units has been less than the actual cost, but it is expected to com- 
pensate for these losses by making the building charge on remaining 
units correspondingly larger than the actual cost. In the case of 
public lands such adjustments can undoubtedly be made, but in the 
case of private lands it is questionable whether they can be required 
to pay any more than the proper proportion of the actual cost of the 
work pertaining to the unit in which the lands are situated. If this 
be true, the probable losses to the fund will be considerably greater 
than is indicated in the detailed reports. 

27. On nearly all of the projects the Reclamation Service deals 
with the landowner through a water users' association. This is an 
incorporated body, in which each member holds as many shares of 
stock as he has acres of irrigable land within the project. In most 
of the associations the par value of the stock was fixed at what was 
apparently the originally estimated construction charge per aere. 
The land covered by the stock subscriptions of its members is bound 
by means of a contract between the association and the Reclamation 
Service. 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 2 



18 FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

28. The associations being formed in different States, vary in char- 
acter and the contracts are not all alike. In most of them, however, 
it is provided that upon the formal opening of the project each holder 
of stock shall make a water-right application. If he does so, his land 
becomes bound for the repayment of the announced building charge. 
If he fails to do so, he can be dropped from the association and the 
lien foreclosed, but the liability in this case is apparently limited to 
the par value of the stock. 

29. As the probable construction charges on many uncompleted 
projects will exceed the par value of the stock of the Water Users' 
Association, due regard for the security of the investment requires 
that the par value of the stock be correspondingly increased or other 
means taken that will accomplish the same purpose. 

30. A positive loss will occur on the lower Yellowstone project 
even under the most favorable conditions of completion, and in the 
Missouri River and Garden City pumping projects and in the Hondo 
project large losses appear to be inevitable. 

31. Under existing regulations the construction charges must be 
returned to the reclamation fund in 10 equal annual payments. 
This is regarded as a hardship by the settlers on some projects, who 
expressed a desire for a series of graduated construction payments 
increasing from 1 or 2 per cent the first year to 14 or 15 per cent the 
tenth year. Should this suggestion be generally adopted, it would 
mean a delay of several years in the return of the first half of the 
investment and a corresponding delay in the completion of other 
work. 

32. On some of the projects in the semiarid regions such a modifi- 
cation in the terms of payment may be necessary to prevent an abso- 
lute failure of the project, but the general adoption of a system of 
graduated payments is not believed to be necessary or advisable. 

33. Ownership of land. — Table No. 1 shows the amounts of public, 
State, and private land under the various projects. By public land 
is meant land in Government ownership, which has been or can be 
filed on subject to the terms of the reclamation act. In some cases 
land was entered shortly before withdrawal of adjoining land under 
the expectation that the project would be undertaken. The title in 
these cases did not become vested in the homesteader until several 
years after work on the project had been started, and in a sense such 
lands were quasi public. At that time, however, as the owners were 
under no obligation to enter the project and as they could not be com- 
pelled to reduce their holdings below the acreage specified for private 
lands, the lands so held were essentially in private ownership and 
have been so classed. It is stated by the Director of the Reclamation 
Service that the area of land so entered is not large. 

34. State lands included within a project are not, as a rule, bound 
to repay the construction charge. In many cases, however, the State 
has agreed to dispose of its land in tracts of the size adopted for the 
farm units with the provision that the purchaser shall apply for 
water and assume the building charge. There is no method of en- 
forcing the sale of such lands nor any assurance that they will be sold 
within a given time. In some instances, delays of this character may 
adversely affect water rights and delay or reduce anticipated returns 
to the reclamation fund. Closer cooperation between the State and 
the Nation seems desirable. 



FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 19 

35. In forming its opinion as to the merits of the different projects, 
the board has been guided by the following general considerations : 

(1) Feasibility from an engineering and an economic standpoint. 

(2) Character from a geographic standpoint, whether interna- 
tional, interstate, or intrastate. 

(3) The relative amount of public land entered or subject to entry 
under the reclamation act. 

(4) The amount of money already expended and the necessity of 
completion in order to insure its return, regardless of the second and 
third considerations. 

(5) The protection of water rights pertaining to desirable exten- 
sions as contemplated by the act of Congress authorizing advances to 
the reclamation fund. 

(6) The existence of agreements with water users' associations, 
private individuals, and corporations. 

36. In making the amount of public land one of these considera- 
tions the board is actuated by the belief that the primary object of 
the reclamation act was the reclamation of public land with inci- 
dental benefits to such adjoining private land as must, in nearly all 
cases, be included in the project in order to make it feasible from an 
economic or an engineering standpoint. 

37. While the community as a whole will profit by the reclamation 
of private lands, the greater portion of the benefits resulting from 
such expenditures of Government funds accrues to the original own- 
ers, and this without any investment on their part. For instance, in 
the Tieton unit of the Yakima project, which involves only 6 per cent 
of public land, the inauguration of the project increased the value of 
private holdings from a merely nominal sum to about $150 per acre. 
These private holdings, some of which were large, are being divided 
up and sold to settlers, who will be required to pay the construction 
charge of $93 in addition to the above price. 

38. In undertaking projects where the direct Federal interests are 
small it would seem no more than equitable to add an interest charge 
to the cost of reclaiming private land or to require that a percentage 
of the private holdings be deeded free of cost to the United States, 
the areas so deeded to be subsequently thrown open to entry under the 
homestead law as modified by the reclamation act. 

39. A description of the various projects containing the recommen- 
dations of the board follows. It is supplemented by Table No. 2, 
giving the total estimated cost of each project, the allotments to date, 
and the suggested allotments. 

Eespectfully submitted. 

John Biddle, 
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers. 

W. C. Langfitt, 
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers. 
Wm. W. Harts, 
Major, Corps of Engineers. 

C. W. Kutz, 
Major, Corps of Engineers. 

H. Burgess, 
Major, Corps of Engineers. 
The Secretary of the Interior 

(Through Consulting Engineer to the Secretary of the Interior). 



20 



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Table 2. 
[To accompany Section I.] 



Project. 



Total 

estimated 

cost. 



Allot- 
ments to 
Dec. 31, 
1910. 



Allot- 
ments 
required 
to com- 
plete. 



Allotments recom- 
mended 1911-1914, 
inclusive. 



Fund. 



Required 

to complete 

after 1914. 



Loan. 



Salt River 

Yuma 

Orland 

Grand Valley 

Uncompahgre 

Minidoka 

Payette-Boise 

Garden City 

Huntley 

Milk River 

Sun River 

Lower Yellowstone. 
North Platte: 

Interstate 

Goshen Park. . . 

Truckee-Carson 

Carlsbad 

Hondo 

Rio Grande 

Missouri Pumping. 

Umatilla 

Klamath 

Belle Fourche 

Strawberry Valley . 

Okanogan 

Yakima: 

Sunnyside 

Tieton 

Kittitas 

Wapato 

Benton 

Shoshone 



Total. 



$9, 

7, 

3, 

9, 

4, 

10, 

1, 

6, 

10, 

3, 

5, 
14, 

7, 



665,000 
700, 462 
607, 335 
621, 663 
000,000 
505,000 
852,435 
419,000 
040,000 
891, 000 
000,000 
523,000 

070,000 
900, 000 
000,000 
605,000 
359,000 
665,000 
195,000 
650,000 
470, 195 
150,000 
407,000 
590,000 

148,000 
185,000 
525,000 
205,000 
500,000 
828,000 



$9, 170, 000 

4, 120, 000 

608,000 

225,000 

4,455,000 

3,977,000 

4,267,000 

419,000 

955,000 

941,000 

722,000 

2,945,000 

5,135,000 

4,213,000 

605,000 

359,000 

1,310,000 

983,000 

1,325,000 

2,334,000 

2,670.000 

1,135,000 

603,000 



4,711,000 
3,828,000 



$495, 000 
3,580,462 



$2,380,462 



$495, 000 
1,200,000 



3, 396, 663 

4,545,000 

528,000 

6,585,435 



2 500, 000 

2,045,000 

528,000 

4,585,435 



2 1,000,000 
1,500,000 



110,000 
5,950,000 
9,278,000 

578,000 

14,835,000 
2,787,000 



110,000 
2,950,000 
3,278,000 
2 578,000 

2,185,000 
1,594,000 



2,000,000 

"i,"666,"666' 



0) 
0) 
0) 

2 $1,896, 663 
1,000,000 

vi 

0) 
0) 

2,000,000 
6,000,000 
( 3 ) 



2,000,000 
1,193,000 



8,355,000 
270,000 
325, 000 

2, 136, 195 
480,000 

2,272,000 
13,000 



18,145,000 
4,000,000 



1,855,000 
2 270,000 



4,500,000 



480,000 

"i3,"666 



325,000 
600,000 



2,272,000 




1,250,000 
665,000 



2,000,000 



(>) 
(») 

4,525,000 
4,205,000 
7,500,000 
2,000,000 



61,885,000 



88,664,755 



25,351,897 



20,000,000 



43,312,858 



1 Completed. * Conditional. » Completed; conditional. 

Note. — The allotments to December 31, 1910, include allotments for operation and maintenance. 

FINANCIAL SUMMARY. 

Balance unallotted $3,000,000 

Estimated receipts 1911-1914 28,000,000 

Loan 20,000,000 

Total 51,000,000 

Allotments recommended 45, 400. 000 

Operation, maintenance, and contingencies 5, 600, 000 

Total 51,000,000 



Section II. 



SALT RIVER PROJECT, ARIZONA. 

1. The board visited the Salt River project on October 8, 9, and 10, 
visiting the Granite Reef Diversion Dam on October 8, the Roosevelt 
Storage Dam on October 8 and 9, and the irrigated lands in the 
vicinity of Mesa and Phoenix on October 10. A public hearing was 
held in Phoenix on October 10. 

2. Location and description. — The Salt River project is one of 
the larger projects of the Reclamation Service and involves many 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 23 

engineering features of magnitude and difficulty. It is located on 
the Salt Elver in the vicinity of the towns of Mesa and Phoenix, 
Ariz., and contemplates the irrigation of about 230,000 acres of land, 
mainly in private ownership. 

3. From an early date efforts were made by private owners of 
lands in the vicinity of Phoenix to divert water from Salt River to 
their lands, and a series of canals and ditches were constructed both 
north and south of the river heading from various diversion dams. 
The earliest canal, called the " Swilling," was commenced in 1868. 
In the course of time many thousands of acres, finally amounting 
to 151,000, were irrigated in a more or less insufficient manner. 

4. The present site of the storage dam was originally in the hands 
of private owners, who expected to use it for the construction of 
storage works at some future time. The frequent destruction of the 
diversion dams by floods and the lack of financial means among the 
owners to build and maintain better structures and to provide storage 
led the Reclamation Service to undertake this project. 

5. The waters of the Salt and Verde Rivers are used for irrigation. 
Owing to the large discharge during certain periods of the year and 
the low discharge in others, storage was found to be necessary to reg- 
ulate the flow, the amount of water available being sufficient to irri- 
gate large areas if properly conserved. 

6. The project includes, first, a storage dam; second, a diversion 
dam to divert water into the canal system; and third, a system of 
distributing canals, carrying the water over the project. 

7. In operating the works stored water is released into Salt River 
as needed and flows for a distance of about 60 miles in the natural 
channel to Granite Reef Diversion Dam, where the river flow is 
diverted both to the north and south sides of the river into the dis- 
tributing system. This water supply is to be supplanted by elec- 
tric pumping over a considerable area. The works of the project are 
now nearing completion. 

8. Transportation. — Several railroads traverse the project, which 
furnish facilities for the transportation of products, the most remote 
points of the project being less than 15 miles from some railway 
station. 

9. Construction features. — The most important feature of the 
project, and the only one contemplated at the beginning, is the stor- 
age dam. This was formerly called the Tonto Dam, but is now 
known as the Roosevelt Dam, and is located in the canyon of the 
Salt River a few hundred feet below the mouth of Tonto Creek. It 
is built in a narrow rock gorge, is 278 feet high, 235 feet long on the 
bottom, and 1,080 feet long on top, including spillways, and 680 
feet excluding them. It is curved in plan, with a radius of 480 feet, 
and has a gravity section. It is built of uncoursed cyclopean rubble, 
except the faces, which are laid in 2 and 3 foot courses. The ma- 
terial is a quartzite which was obtained from the excavation for the 
spillways, one of which is located at each end of the dam. The spill- 
ways are crossed by reenforced concrete arch bridges, connecting the 
top of the dam with the banks and providing a roadway across the 
river along the top of the dam. 

10. In the construction of this dam, which contains 341,244 cubic 
yards of masonry, a number of preliminary steps were necessary. A 
freight road to Mesa, 60 miles long, was built, one to Globe, 40 miles 



24 FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

long, and one to the nearest body of timber, about 30 miles distant, 
where 3,000,000 feet of lumber were cut on the public forest reserve 
for use on the project. 

11. The high expense of transporting cement induced the recla- 
mation engineers to build their own cement mill, after having found 
satisfactory material near by. This mill was put in operation in 1905, 
and supplied 338,452 barrels of cement. The total cost of this mill 
and its operation is given as $1,055,146, or about $3 per barrel. 

12. Owing to the scarcity of fuel, power was supplied from a power 
canal about 19.5 miles long, taking water from the Salt River. The 
capacity of this canal is 250 second-feet, and it utilizes a fall of 226 
feet. It was built through very difficult country and has 21 tunnels 
and 3,600 feet of twin concrete-steel conduits. It developes 4,400 
horsepower. 

13. The results seem to justify the wisdom of these steps. Consid- 
erable saving in the cost of cement is reported to have been made, 
and the electrical power was almost wholly depended upon during 
construction. When not needed at the dam site this power will be 
sold in the towns of Phoenix and Mesa, thus diminishing the expense 
of operation and maintenance after the completion of the system. 

14. Sand for mortar and concrete was obtained by crushing the 
quartzite and dolomitic country rock for which sand crushers were 
installed. 

15. Work on the dam under the contract was begun in 1905, and is 
now nearly finished. Its cost has been $3,009,991.33. The capacity of 
the reservoir is 1,284,000 acre-feet. Its area is 16,320 acres. Water 
may be released from the reservoir at three levels — first, through the 
sluicing tunnel in the bottom of the dam, by which the reservoir may 
be emptied ; second, by the steel penstock, 10 feet in diameter, which 
is to supply water for the power house; third, a tunnel on the right 
bank at an elevation of 115 feet, to which water is to be admitted 
through three cast-iron pipes, 5 feet in diameter. 

16. The water released from the storage dam is diverted into the 
distribution canals by the Granite Reef Diversion Dam. This dam is 
of mass concrete and raises the water surface 20 feet. It is an over- 
flow weir, 1,000 feet long, 26 feet high, and has an apron 75 feet wide 
and 18 inches thick. At each end are canal headworks provided with 
sluicing gates in the main dam to remove silt from the canal entrance. 

IT. The canal system has practically all been purchased. The 
canals on the north side were bought by the Reclamation Service for 
$314,160.99, including the Arizona, Grand, Maricopa, Salt River 
Valley, and Cross- Cut Canals. Of these, the Arizona and Grand 
Canals are now being enlarged. On the south side of the river a new 
canal, called the South Canal, was built for a length of about 2 miles, 
to connect with the existing south-side system. Near its lower end 
a temporary by-pass admits water into the Consolidated Canal, sup- 
plying a private system, which was purchased for $187,000. This 
Consolidated Canal supplies the Utah and Mesa Canals and part of 
the Tempe Canal, and is now being enlarged. The East Canal heads 
in the South Canal near the by-pass, and has been constructed by the 
Reclamation Service. This was started under the " Certificate " plan 
of compensation, but this method of payment was stopped after 
$34,615.87 had been expended, and the canal was completed by the 
contractor at his own expense, and then sold to the Government for 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 25 

$89,954.56. The minor structures now being built in the distribution 
system are usually of concrete and are simple and effective. In gen- 
eral, the engineering works on this project show careful design and 
construction. 

18. Water supply. — Water is obtained for this project from the 
Salt and Verde Rivers, and from wells. Salt River has a drainage 
basin of 6,260 square miles, and the Verde River of 6,000 square 
miles, the average rainfall being 15 inches. The average annual 
run-off of Salt River at Roosevelt Dam is 800,000 acre-feet, and of 
the Verde River at McDowell, 580,000 acre-feet. The run-off fluctu- 
ates widely throughout the year, and the annual fluctuations are also 
large. From the Verde River only the unregulated flow is at present 
available. On Salt River, as already stated, storage has been pro- 
vided in Roosevelt Reservoir for 1,284,000 acre-feet. 

19. Discharge measurements of these rivers have been made since 
1889, and assuming the reservoir as built at that date studies have 
been made by the Reclamation Service of the amount of water that 
would have been annually available from the unregulated flow of 
the Verde River and the annual draft on storage water necessary to 
supply an annual use of 760,000 acre-feet, this being the amount 
required for 190,000 acres at the assumed duty of 4 acre-feet per acre. 

20. These studies show that during 15 years of the 20-year period 
under consideration there would have been a sufficient supply of 
water. During the remaining years, with an assumed evaporation 
loss of 4.42 feet, there would have been shortages as shown in the 
following table : 

Per cent. 

1900 9 

1901 6 

1902 45 

1903 28 

1904 38 

21. The evaporation loss of 4.42 feet per annum is that recently 
determined by the director of the experiment station at Tucson, Ariz., 
and is the net loss after subtracting the rainfall. Former measure- 
ments extending over a number of years indicated an evaporation 
loss of 7.58 feet. Had this loss been assumed, the shortages above 
indicated would have been correspondingly increased. 

22. The above studies are also based upon the right of the United 
States to impound in Roosevelt Reservoir for use in the project the 
entire flow of Salt River at this point. This right, however, will 
not exist unless all of the irrigable land in the valley possessing prior 
water rights becomes a part of the project. By an adjudication of 
the water rights in this valley, dated March 1, 1910, the various 
claims to the flow of the Salt and Verde Rivers are defined as to 
amount and priority. These claims cover 151,000 acres of Class "A" 
land and a diversion of 45,325 miners' inches, equivalent to 1,133 
second-feet. This adjudication limits the right to impound water 
in the Roosevelt Reservoir in the following terms : 

The daily flow in the Salt River shall not be impounded by the Government 
by means of the Roosevelt Dam in the reservoir, except when the total intake 
in such reservoir, including the estimated loss thereto by seepage and evapora- 
tion between such intake and the conflux with the Verde River, added to the 
flow of the Verde River shall exceed the amount called for in Table 10 (45,325 
miners' inches) plus the amount to be added thereto for loss by evaporation 



26 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

and seepage in the canals, unless at the request or with the assent of the users 
of such water whose land is entitled thereto ; and no water user entitled thereto 
shall bt deprived against his consent of his proportionate share of the normal 
flow of the river by reason of such impounding dam. The Government, in 
timep of flood water, shall not, by impounding water in the reservoir, lessen 
the proportionate share of such flood water of any individual landowner not 
a member of the water users' association and against his consent, nor shall 
it lessen the proportionate share of the Tempe and San Francisco Canals, or 
of either of them, to such flood water available to such canals, so as to deprive 
such canals of such proportion of such flood water desired when the land lying 
under such canals is in need of such water or any portion thereof and can 
avail of it and when such canal company shall notify the commissioner of its 
desire to divert such water or any portion thereof. The various parcels of 
land in the valley in cultivation are entitled to share equally, according to 
acreage, in the use of the flood water available; the proportionate share in the 
flood water of the Tempe and San Francisco Canals is therefore to be meas- 
ured by their relative acreage under cultivation, since the share of the land 
under the other canals listed in the association in the flood water in the Salt 
River can now be stored for them in the Roosevelt Reservoir. The acreage 
under the Tempe Canal is found to be approximately 16 per cent of the total 
acreage in cultivation. The acreage under the San Francisco Canal is found 
to be approximately 3 per cent of the total acreage under cultivation. The 
amount of flood water to which the Tempe and San Francisco Canals shall be 
entitled to receive, as above stated, is therefore 16 per cent and 3 per cent, 
respectively, of the total amount of flood water available. 

23. A large percentage of the users of water are members of the 
Salt Eiver Valley Water Users' Association, and as such have agreed 
to merge their water rights with those of the United States, but 
as there are at least 20,000 acres of land under the Tempe and San 
Francisco Canals not yet included in the project, it is evident that not 
all of the flow at the Roosevelt Dam can be impounded. 

24. To what extent a strict compliance with the court's decree 
will affect the storage possibilities of the reservoir can not be deter- 
mined from the information available, but it will probably necessi- 
tate reducing the area under the contemplated gravity unit by at 
least 10,000 acres. 

25. In the adjudication referred to above the duty of water at 
the farm is assumed at 1 miner's inch continuous flow for each 160 
acres, equivalent to about 5 acre-feet per acre per annum. To de- 
termine the amount to be diverted, seepage and evaporation losses 
in the canals are added at the rate of 1 per cent per mile. The Re- 
clamation Service assumes a duty of 4 acre- feet per acre, which, in 
view of the character of the land and the length of the season, is 
believed to be small. 

26. The shortage that would have existed in the past had the entire 
flow of the Salt River been impounded, the necessary reduction in the 
amount impounded to provide for prior rights, and the high duty 
of water assumed all lead to the belief that the water supply is insuf- 
ficient for the proper irrigation of the 190,000 acres under the gravity 
unit. 

27. Lands. — The proposed total acreage under this project is 
230,000 acres, the area to be irrigated depending upon the quantity of 
the water supply available, which has not yet been fully determined. 
There is more land suitable for irrigation than can be supplied with 
water. All of the land is in private ownership, of which 14,000 acres 
are school lands. It is expected by the Reclamation Service that 
about 190,000 acres wil 1 be irrigated by gravity and the remainder by 
pumping from wells. The power which is available at various points 
of the project is to be developed and used for this purpose. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 27 

28. Already some pumping from wells has been done under private 
enterprise in the valley, lifting the underground water to the surface 
for irrigation. The results are sufficiently promising to warrant the 
extension of this practice if the wells are sufficiently free from salt to 
be used for irrigation. Some of these wells are found to be decidedly 
alkaline, but by mixing the well water with the canal water it is 
hoped that it will be sufficiently diluted to be suitable for irrigation. 

29. The elevation of the irrigated lands is about 1,200 feet above 
sea level. The range of temperature is from 20 to 120° F., a mean 
of about 70°, and the rainfall over the irrigated area varies from 3 
to 10 inches, being entirely too small for any cultivation. The lands 
have practically no value unless irrigated. 

30. The duty of 4 acre-feet at the farm is small, in view of the 
character of the land and the length of the season, but is acceptable 
to people interested, who prefer irrigation on this basis rather than 
having a greater quantity over a smaller area. Two crops are often 
raised in the same season from the same area. 

31. There are at present 127,000 acres under cultivation. This area 
is largely made up of lands heretofore irrigated under private sys- 
tems, which are now being furnished water under the present pro- 
ject. The land is very productive. Over 50 per cent of this land 
is planted to alfalfa, and returns from six to seven cuttings annually, 
varying from one to two tons a cutting per acre. Considerable suc- 
cess has also been met in raising citrus fruits and dates. 

32. The land is valued at from $100 to $400 per acre, the average 
being about $160 per acre. The higher price is asked for bearing 
orange groves. The average value of land before the project was 
commenced was about $45 per acre. There seems little doubt that 
the land is able to return to the United States a reasonable expendi- 
ture for irrigation. This amount has not yet been determined, but 
will probably be between $45 and $55 per acre. 

33. Until recently, the lands of the project have been irrigated 
under private canal systems. Those farmers who were formerly 
furnished an inadequate supply of water were, in consequence, desir- 
ous of subscribing for the more reliable supply of the Reclamation 
Service system, and formed the Salt River Water Users' Association 
in February, 1903, to facilitate the construction of the project. Those 
who have withheld from subscribing their lands have generally 
earlier water rights and a satisfactory supply. About 218,000 acres 
are already under agreement to take water, but the land under the 
Tempe Canal, amounting to about 25,000 acres, has one of the best 
water rights and, except about 7,000 acres, has been withheld. About 
5,000 acres under the San Francisco Canal have also not been sub- 
scribed, nor have the lands of the Indian reservation, lying at the 
eastern end of the Arizona Canal, which have been allowed a prior 
right to 700 miner's inches by court decision. It is expected by the 
Reclamation Service that much of this land, both private and Indian, 
will gradually come under the project. 

34. Cost. — The total cost of this project up to June 30, 1910, has 
been $8,959,760.54. There has been allotted from reclamation funds 
$9,170,000. The project is over 80 per cent completed. 

35. Under an agreement with the property owners under this 
project, an assessment of $4.50 per acre is to be made for the comple- 
tion of the power plants and the enlargement and construction of 



28 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

canals to expedite the work. This will avoid the necessity of obtain- 
ing more money from the reclamation fund for this purpose. In 
consideration of this contribution the opening of the project has been 
delayed two years. The work to be done with these funds is as fol- 
lows : First, the construction of the Salt Lateral, a lined ditch about 
2 J miles long ; second, the completion and enlargement of the present 
Grand Canal ; third, the construction of the new Crosscut Canal con- 
necting the Arizona and Grand Canals ; fourth, the construction of a 
power house to develop 6,000 horsepower between the new Crosscut 
and the Grand Canals; fifth, the construction of a power house be- 
tween the South and Consolidated Canals to develop 3,000 horse- 
power ; sixth, the construction of a power house at the Arizona Falls 
on the Arizona Canal to generate 700 horsepower. 

36. The remaining work necessary and the estimate of cost are as 
follows : 

Enlargement, Arizona Canal $72, 000 

Pumping plants and wells, Messa district 48, 000 

Purchase Consolidated Canal 87, 000 

Materials 15,000 

Power substation, Mesa 10, 000 

Waste gates, Arizona Canal 20,000 

Wells and pumping plant, Tempe district 60, 000 

High Line Canal for drainage 65,000 

Division gates, Consolidated Canal 8, 000 

Miscellaneous 35,000 

420, 000 
If the Tempe Canal comes in, the following will be needed : 

Wells and pumping plants for drainage $30, 000 

Power substation 25, 000 

High Line Canal for drainage 20, 000 

Total 495,000 

This amount added to $9,170,000 already allotted will make the 
total cost of the work $9,665,000. If the area to be irrigated be taken 
at 230,000 acres, as now assumed by the Reclamation Service, the cost 
of construction will be about $42 per acre. This does not include 
$4.50 per acre voluntarily contributed by the water users' association 
to facilitate the completion of the project. 

37. If the supply of water should be insufficient for the area of 
190,000 acres assumed as the amount of land which can be irrigated 
by the gravity system, this price would need to be raised. The 
amount of water available for the areas to be irrigated by pumping is 
unknown, and if this should fall short the charge per acre to cover 
the cost of construction would need to be further raised. This in- 
crease might be as much as 25 ner cent. 

38. Power. — Water power will be developed at various points in 
the project, as follows: 

(1) Roosevelt Dam, through reservoir, maximum horsepower, 
5,200. 

(2) Tempe Crosscut, maximum horsepower, 6,000. 

(3) South Canal, maximum horsepower, 3,000. 

(4) Arizona Canal Falls, maximum horsepower, 700. 

At the dam the power canal now completed has a maximum horse- 
power of 4,400. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 29 

39. In purchasing the existing canal system certain obligations 
were assumed by the Reclamation Service for the supply of elec- 
tricity to the Phoenix Railway & Light Co. The power canal used 
in the construction of the Roosevelt Dam is now applied to the gen- 
eration of electricity for this company, with whom a 10-year agree- 
ment has been made, the electricity being furnished at the rate of 
1-J cents per kilowatt hour for this period. No restrictions were 
included in this agreement as to the amount this company should 
charge the people of Phoenix. The receipts are used to diminish the 
operation and maintenance of the canal system. 

40. The enlargement of the canals has been expensive, owing to the 
necessity of carrying on work while the ditches were in use, as the 
irrigation season lasts throughout the entire year on this project. 

41. Summary. — (1) This project is located within the limits of 
the Territory of Arizona. 

(2) The area in the project amounts to about 190,000 acres under 
the gravity system and about 40,000 acres by pumping. There is no 
public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(3) It is doubtful whether the water supply is sufficient for the 
whole area proposed. 

(4) The total estimated cost is $9,665,000, of which about 
$9,000,000 has been expended. The project is over 80 per cent com- 
pleted. 

(5) The land can readily return a cost of construction of from $45 
to $55 per acre. 

(6) The project is feasible both from an engineering and an eco- 
nomical standpoint. 

(7) The large expenditures already made and the benefit that will 
follow completion make it desirable to continue work as rapidly as 
economically practicable until finished. 

(8) Allotments: The following allotment is recommended for the 
four years, 1911-1914, inclusive : 

From the loan $495, 000 



Section III. 

YUMA PROJECT, ARIZONA-CALIFORNIA. 

1. This project was visited by the board on October 7, 1910, and a 
public hearing was held at Yuma in the evening of that day. 

2. Location. — The project lies along the Colorado River between 
the Mexican boundary and a point 40 miles north of it, in Arizona 
and California. It is, therefore, interstate in character. The South- 
ern Pacific Railway passes through the project from east to west, 
about one-third of the project lying to the north and two -thirds to 
the south. 

3. Description. — A portion of the project, comprising 16,000 acres 
of Indian reservation land, lies in California, the remainder, 115,000 
acres, lying in Yuma County, Ariz. Of this area, 55,000 acres are 
bottom lands between Yuma and the Mexican boundary; 20,000 are 
in the lower Gila Valley above Yuma; and 40,000 acres are mesa 



30 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

lands south and east of Yuma. The water for the project will 
be taken from the Colorado Eiver. The main engineering fea- 
tures of the project comprise a diversion dam in the Colo- 
rado River about 15 miles above Yuma; two main canals lead- 
ing from it, one on each side of the river; a siphon across the Colo- 
rado River at Yuma; levees along the Yuma and Gila Rivers; and 
the subsidiary distribution systems. The canal leading from the dam 
on the California side of the river is the main canal of the project, 
having a capacity of 1,700 second-feet. As this canal passes through 
the Indian reservation laterals are led from it to irrigate the lands 
belonging thereto. At one point in this canal there will be a drop of 
12 feet, at which it is proposed to develop 1,000 horsepower, which 
will be transmitted electrically and used to pump water for irrigat- 
ing mesa lands. This canal is to be carried across the Colorado 
River in a concrete siphon, after which it divides and supplies water 
for the lands in the project below Yuma on the Arizona side of the 
river. The main canal on the Arizona side covers that portion of the 
project lying in the Gila Valley. The Laguna Dam, as the diversion 
dam is called, is of the Indian weir type and raises the water surface 
of the river at low water about 10 feet. In order to keep silt out of 
the canals, arrangements are made at the headworks on both sides 
of the river to admit only the upper layers of water and to sluice 
into the river below the dam any deposits in front of the canal head- 
works. The siphon consists of two shafts about 100 feet deep, one 
on each bank of the river, connected by a tunnel 14 feet in diameter, 
the shafts being 17 and 23 feet in diameter on the California and 
Arizona sides, respectively. There will be required 75 miles of levee 
to protect the irrigated areas, and of this amount 40 miles have been 
completed. A drainage system will also be necessary and is pro- 
vided for in the estimates. 

4. When this project was taken up there were in the valley four 
inefficient private irrigation systems, of which three were purchased 
by the Reclamation Service on account of their rights of way and 
the desirability of adding to the project the lands covered by them. 
One of these systems was operated by pumping, one had an aban- 
doned pumping system, and one was a gravity system which had 
silted up. Since their purchase both pumping plants have been put 
in order and an additional pump added. The three pumps have 
been operated by the Reclamation Service. The first cost of these 
purchases was as follows: 

Canal system and steam pumping plant $63, 260. 60 

Canal system and scoop wheel pumping plant 89, 614. 14 

Additional pump 400. 69 

General expenses, undistributed 4, 041. 99 

Total 157, 317. 42 

5. Water supply. — The water supply is obtained from the peren- 
nial flow of the Colorado River without storage. Its drainage area 
comprises approximately 300,000 square miles. The rivers of the 
Colorado system receive their main supply from the melting snows 
on the mountains in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The low-water 
discharge of the Colorado is from 3,000 to 4,000 second-feet, while the 
flood discharges, beginning in March and April and reaching the 
crest in June, may amount to 150,000 second-feet. The duty of 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



31 



water is taken as 5.5 acre-feet per acre per year. The following table, 
furnished by the Reclamation Service from records made by its 
officials during 16 years, indicate the excess of water over that re- 
quired by the project in the minimum monthly flow of the Colorado 
River at Yuma: 



Month. 



Minimum 

run-off 
(acre-feet). 


Duty in 
feet. 


185,407 


0.20 


182,531 


.25 


367, 702 


.30 


479, 663 


.41 


1, 670, 000 


.52 


2,550,000 


.70 


1, 411, 995 


.90 


598, 366 


.80 


386, 456 


.56 


494, 160 


.38 


321, 271 


.26 


266,598 


.22 



Area of pos- 
sible irriga- 
tion. 



January . . . 
February. . 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 
October... 
November. 
December. 



927,000 

730,000 

1,220,000 

1,170,000 

3,200,000 

3,650,000 

1,570,000 

750,000 

690, 000 

1,300,000 

1,230,000 

1,210,000 



Area in project, 131,000 acres. 

The amounts in the second column are the minimum run-offs that 
occurred during the months named in the 16 years of observation. 
There will be, therefore, ample water for the project, after satisfying 
prior rights, to cover 200,000 acres now irrigated under private enter- 
terprise in the Imperial Valley below. The Imperial Valley Irriga- 
tion Co. has filed on 10,000 second-feet additional, but as beneficial use 
of it has not yet been made, the claim will probably not be allowed 
in full, but restricted to an amount that will cause no interference 
with the Yuma project. 

6. Lands. — The irrigable land in the different units is as follows : 



Units. 


Public. 


Private. 


Gila Valley 


10, 000 
10, 000 
38, 000 
16, 000 


10, 000 


Yuma Valley 


45, 000 


Mesa lands 


2,000 


Indian lands - 










Total 


74,000 


57,000 







The average size of the private farms in the project is 120 acres. 
The average annual rainfall over the irrigable area is 2^ inches and 
its elevation above sea level is from 100 to 300 feet. Dry farming is 
not possible. The climate is semitropical, though temperatures below 
freezing have occurred. All the lands in this project except the 
mesa lands are " valley " lands of great depth and richness, and it is 
expected that they will produce alfalfa, grains of all kinds, pears, 
dates, figs, apricots, melons, citrus fruits, vegetables, grapes, small 
fruits and berries, and cotton. By proper alternation two or more 
crops a year can be grown. From 5 to 7 cuttings of alfalfa per year 
are usual. At the present time this is the only single crop of conse- 
quence, there being 1,500 acres devoted to it. In 1909 the gross value 
of the crops on the 7,000 acres irrigated by pumping was $87 per 
acre. Lands are now worth from $50 to $100 per acre without water, 
and land in alfalfa is selling at from $150 to $200 per acre. Citrus- 



32 FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

fruit lands will be much higher. The mesa lands are especially 
adapted to these fruits. There would seem to be no question but that 
the land will be able to bear the construction cost, and this was 
emphatically so stated at the public meeting, the main desire of all 
being the early completion of the work. 

7. Drainage is necessary in some parts of the project, for which 
the United States will construct only the main ditches. Levees, as 
stated above, are necessary along the Gila and the Colorado Rivers 
to prevent overflow. The cost of both the drainage and the levees is 
included in the estimates of the cost of completion. 

8. Lands now irrigated. — In the Yuma Indian Reservation there 
are TOO Indians. The law gives each Indian 5 acres, or a total of 
3,500 acres, leaving 12,500 acres for settlement, but on account of the 
possibility of an increase of the acreage allowed to each Indian, only 
6,500 acres have been opened for settlement. This was done in March 
last, and since then the land has all been taken up in 173 farms of 
approximately 40 acres each. During this year 425 acres were irri- 
gated, and this amount will rapidly increase in succeeding years. 
The maintenance charge has been fixed at $1 per acre. 

9. No part of the main system has yet been opened, nor has any 
building charge been fixed nor any water supplied by gravity from 
the dam, except to the Indian lands above noted. The two pump- 
ing systems purchased and the one small additional pump fitted up 
and operated by the Reclamation Service furnish an inadequate sup- 
ply to 7,000 to 10,000 acres. The charge for this service has been 
about $1 per acre-foot, at which price, it is stated, the cost to the 
landowners will be from $5.50 to $10 per acre this year. 

10. Costs. — The expenditures on this project to June 30, 1910, have 
been $3,714,462.08, of which $441,513.71, or 11.9 per cent, was for field 
engineering and superintendence ; $87,607.42, or 2.5 per cent, for cler- 
ical services on the project ; $24,787.72, or 0.7 per cent, for the super- 
vising engineer's office ; and $90,665.87, or 2.5 per cent, for the Wash- 
ington and Chicago offices, expert engineers, etc. The estimate of the 
additional expenditures required to complete the project is given in 
the following table: 

Siphon connections, etc $43, 000 

Dam and main canal to Indian reservation 230, 000 

Main canal to siphon 540, 000 

Indian reservation canal 75, 000 

Colorado siphon and wasteway 165, 000 

Main canal and laterals in Yuma Valley 800, 000 

Drainage systems 150, 000 

Rights and property 175, 000 

Gila Valley main canal and laterals 340, 000 

Levees 368, 000 

Mesa land pumping station 500, 000 

Mesa land main and lateral systems 600,000 

Total 3, 986, 000 

The total estimated cost of the project is, therefore, $7,700,462.08. 

11. Returns to the reclamation fund. — So far only 6,500 acres have 
been opened and construction charge for them has been fixed at $55. 
The returns from this area will be $357,500. The estimated total cost 
of completion is $7,700,462.08. Subtracting $357,500 from this leaves 
$7,342,962.08 to be obtained from the remaining lands, amounting to 
124,500 acres. The building charge for these lands must therefore 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 33 

be about $60 per acre, providing all lands, including the remaining 
Indian lands, pay full construction charges and the estimates for 
completion is not exceeded. There is no definite agreement with the 
Indian Service, and any other course would result in either the 
settlers paying an increased cost or the United States losing a por- 
tion of its investment. The mesa lands, comprising 40,000 acres, are 
not definitely included in the project, although California Canal, its 
head works, and the siphon have had given them, so far as con- 
structed, sufficient capacity to carry the additional water for these 
lands. The omission of these lands will reduce the total cost by 
$1,100,581, but will increase the cost per acre on the remainder from 
$60 to $73. It would, therefore, seem desirable to include them in the 
project. Only about 5,000 acres within the project have not applied 
for water under the reclamation act. 

12. Comment. — The engineering structures are well designed and 
constructed. The Laguna Dam diverting the water of the river into 
the two main canals is especially noteworthy. Its cost, however, was 
approximately $350 per foot of length, and it is thought that a less 
expensive dam might have served the purpose equally well. This 
was one of the first projects undertaken by the Reclamation Service. 
The farmers have long been expecting water, and it was stated that 
promises were made that water would be available by the time first 
named in the contract for the completion of the Laguna Dam, July 
19, 1907. The contractors finally failed on this dam and it was com- 
pleted by force account on March 20, 1909. Water, however, can 
not be supplied to their lands until the completion of the siphon, now 
under way, and the connecting canals. It is understood that the delay 
has been due to lack of funds. The main problems have all been 
solved. It is now simply a question of completion of more or less 
minor works whose total cost aggregates nearly $4,000,000. 

13. Summary. — (1) The Yuma project is feasible, both from an 
economic and an engineering standpoint. 

(2) It is interstate in character, lying in both California and 
Arizona. 

(3) Of the 131,000 acres in the project, 74,000 acres, or 56.5 per 
cent, are public lands subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) The water supply is sufficient. 

(5-) The total estimated expenditures on this project are $7,700,- 
462.08, of which $3,714,462.08 were expended to June 30, 1910. 

(6) The construction charge, approximately $60 per acre, can 
readily be borne. 

(7) The project is an important one and worthy of early com- 
pletion. 

(8) The question of payment of construction charges by the re- 
maining Indian lands should be determined. 

(9) The mesa lands should be definitely included in the project. 

(10) The following allotments are recommended for the four 
years, 1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $2,380,462 

From the loan 1,200,000 

Total 3,580,462 

72573— H. Doc. 3262, 61-3 3 



34 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Section IV. 

ORLAND PROJECT, CALIFORNIA. 

1. The board, by a committee of its members, examined this project 
and the reservoir sites for the proposed extensions on October 3, 
1910, and held a public hearing at Orland on the evening of the 
same day. 

2. Location. — The irrigable area of the Orland project lies in Glenn 
and Tahama Counties, and the storage reservoir in Colusa County, 
Cal. The town of Orland is within the project. Adequate trans- 
portation facilities are afforded by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and 
the Sacramento Eiver, which is navigable in this vicinity, is also 
within a short distance. 

3. Description. — The approved project includes a storage reservoir 
on Little Stony Creek at East Park, about 40 miles above Orland, 
the utilization of the bed of Stony Creek to carry water to the diver- 
sion dam at Miller Buttes and two canal and lateral systems, one on 
the north side to irrigate 6,000 acres and one on the south side to 
irrigate 8,000 acres in the vicinity of Orland. 

4. The reservoir, which has a capacity of 45,600 acre-feet, is 
formed by a curved concrete dam of gravity section in Little Stony 
Creek Gorge. The maximum height of the dam is 139 feet above 
foundations and the length on top 250 feet. The foundations and 
abutments are hard conglomerate. The maximum pressure on founda- 
tions is 9.5 tons per square foot. 

5. There are three gaps in the rim of the reservoir, in one of which 
the spillway is located. The remaining two are closed by low earth 
embankments. The spillway is built of concrete. It is of the arch 
and buttress type and has a capacity of 10,000 second-feet. 

6. The diversion dam is about 9 miles above Orland, and is only 
partially completed. As planned, it will be a low concrete weir 
founded on sheet and round piling, the former driven through the 
gravel bed into the clay beneath. Floods bring down large quan- 
tities of heavy gravel, and the areas above those parts of the weir 
already built are completely filled. As this gravel will tend to choke 
up the canal intakes, it is probable that more or less difficulty will be 
encountered in maintaining a cheap and satisfactory diversion. 

7. Prior to the beginning of work on this project by the Reclama- 
tion Service two private irrigation companies were diverting water 
to part of these lands. On the north side this was being done by the 
Lemon Home Water, Power, and Light Co. and on the south side 
by the Stony Creek Irrigation Co. The canals and ditches of both 
these companies were purchased by the Reclamation Service and are 
being enlarged, extended, and improved. 

8. The north-side canal is to have a capacity of 92 second-feet and 
the south-side canal a capacity of 140 second- feet. The former will 
contain a drop of 40 feet and the latter a drop of 28 feet. At these 
drops 600 gross horsepower can be developed. 

9. The principal structure in the distribution system thus far built 
is the inverted concrete siphon across Hambright Creek. Minor 
structures are also of concrete. 

10. All of the completed structures are well built and suitable for 
the purpose intended. 



FUND FOE KECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 35 

11. Water supply. — Water for the project is obtained from Stony 
Creek, which has a drainage area above the diversion dam of 735 
square miles and above the East Park reservoir of 102 square miles. 
The average annual run-off at the diversion dam is 750,000 acre-feet 
and at the reservoir 87,500 acree-feet, with a minimum at the latter 
point of 30,000 acre-feet in the season of 1909-10. 

12. The duty of water varies from 36 inches to 42 inches, depend- 
ing upon the soil. The demand also is variable during the irrigation 
season, nearly half of the total being required in July and August. 

13. Discharge measurements have been made since 1901, and based 
upon average conditions during that period 36,000 acre-feet of stor- 
age would have been required to supply water for the project in 
accordance with the assumed demand. In this determination allow- 
ance is made for a 25 per cent loss in the creek bed and for a 20 per 
cent loss in the distribution system. The capacity of the reservoir 
exceeds the average requirement for stored water by 9,760 acre-feet, 
so that a supply can usually be carried over to make up deficiencies 
in dry years, such as 1910. 

14. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 225 feet 
above sea level, the average rainfall 17 inches, and the range of tem- 
perature from 26° F. to 120° F. The soil is a sandy loam, contain- 
ing more or less gravel and silt. Experience in this valley indicates 
that 42 inches of water will be required on the gravelly, sandy land, 
amounting to 3,200 acres, and 36 inches on the remainder. Much of 
this land has been used in the past without irrigation for growing 
wheat, but in recent years the wheat crop has been very small. On 
the irrigated portions the principal products are alfalfa, citrus and 
deciduous fruits, small fruits, and vegetables. It is said that alfalfa 
yields six cuttings, or an average of 9 tons per acre per year, value at 
$7 per ton. Almonds, oranges, and grapes also yield large returns. 

15. At the time this project was approved all the land under it, 
14,000 acres, was in private ownership, and 8,960 acres of this amount 
was held by nine landowners. This land has been subdivided into 
40-acre tracts and a large part of it sold. Before the project was 
undertaken the average price of land under it was $17 per acre. It 
is now about $100 an acre, not including the construction charge. 

16. Cost. — The expenditures on the project to June 30, 1910, were 
$397,335, and the estimated cost to complete, subsequent to that date, 
is as follows : 

Gravity system. 

(1) East Park Reservoir $5,000 

(2) Diversion Dam 20,000 

(3) North Side Canal 58,000 

(4) High Line Canal 19,000 

(5) Excavation, distribution system, under contracts 15,500 

(6) Excavation, distribution system, to be contracted 15.500 

(7) Structures for distribution system 30,000 

(8) Special structures, Hambright Creek Siphon, Spillway, etc 5,000 

Add 25 per cent for engineering and contingencies 42, 000 

Total to complete gravity system of the first unit 210, 000 



36 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

This makes a total cost for the gravity system of 14,000 acres 
$607,335, or $43.38 per acre. The estimated cost of developing power 
at drops in the canals to pump water for the irrigation of 3,000 acres 
additional is as follows : 

(1) Penstock and By-Pass $4, 000 

(2) Power house and equipment 10,500 

(3) Transmission line 11, 000 

(4) Pumping plant 7, 200 

(5) Development of wells _ 10,000 

(6) Distribution system 19,500 

Add 25 per cent for engineering, etc 15, 550 

Total to develop power at drops, first unit 77, 750 

17. The power and pumping plants have not yet been built, and 
are not an essential part of the project as originally undertaken. As 
in the main project, the land to be irrigated by them is in private 
ownership. This feature of the work is from an economic stand- 
point desirable, but owing to the demand for reclamation funds on 
other projects containing public land it is not advisable. Oppor- 
tunity, however, should be afforded the Water Users' Association 
to do this work at its own expense, if it so desires. The construction 
charge on this project has not yet been announced, and it will prob- 
ably be somewhat less per acre than that indicated above if the power 
and pumping plants are installed. If the power development only 
is undertaken and the power sold, the construction charge will be 
slightly increased, but, on the other hand, the receipts from the sale 
of power will reduce the annual cost of operation and maintenance. 
In any event the construction charge is not likely to exceed $45 an 
acre, which, considering the productiveness of the soil, is well within 
what the land can bear. 

18. Extensions. — The Orland Project, as now outlined, uses only a 
small part of the run-off of Stony Creek, and investigations have 
been made by the Reclamation Service with a view to utilizing part 
of the remainder. Three additional reservoirs have been considered, 
each of which is to constitute, with the area to be irrigated from it, 
an additional unit of the Orland Project. These are the Stony 
Gorge, Stonyford, and Briscoe Reservoirs. 

19. Stony Gorge Reservoir. — The site of this proposed reservoir is 
on the main branch of Stony Creek, 3 miles above the village of Elk 
Creek. Surveys made in 1910 show a possible storage capacity of 
104,700 acre-feet, estimated to be sufficient for 30,000 acres. Based 
on a rock-fill dam, with a reenforced concrete core wall, the cost is 
placed at $1,123,782, equivalent to $10.70 per acre-foot. The total 
estimated cost of the second, or Stony Gorge, unit is as follows : 

(1) Cost of storage works $1,150,000 

(2) Cost of diversion works 10, 000 

(3) Cost of canal system, at $6 per acre 180, 000 

(4) Cost of distribution system, at $8 per acre 240, 000 

Total 1, 580, 000 

Or $53 per acre. 

20. Stonyford Reservoir. — This reservoir is to be located on the 
main branch of Stony Creek, the dam site being 4 miles above the 
village of Stonyford. It has a possible capacity of 50,882 acre- feet, 



FUND FOE KECLAMATIOET OF AEID LANDS. 37 

estimated to be sufficient for 15,000 acres. Based on an earth and 
rock-fill clam, the cost is placed at $667,039, equivalent to $13.10 per 
acre-foot. The total estimated cost of the third, or Stonyford, unit 
is as follows: 

(1) Cost of storage works $667,039 

(2) Cost of diversion works 10, 000 

(3) Cost of canal system, at $6 per acre 90,000 

(4) Cost of distribution system, at $8 per acre 120,000 

Total 887,039 

Or $59.10 per acre. 

21. Briscoe Reservoir. — This reservoir is to be located on Briscoe 
Creek, a tributary of Stony Creek. The dam site is 2i miles above 
its mouth. It has a possible capacity of 19,052 acre-feet, estimated to 
be sufficient for 5,000 acres. Based on a concrete gravity dam, the 
cost is placed at $282,359, equivalent to $16.30 per acre-foot. The 
total estimated cost of the fourth, or Briscoe, unit is as f olio ws : 

(1) Cost of storage works $282, 359 

(2) Cost of diversion works 5,000 

(3) Cost of canal system, at $6 per acre 30,000 

(4) Cost of distribution system, at $8 per acre 40, 000 

Total 357,359 

Or $71.50 an acre. 

22. The irrigable areas under the extensions adjoin the present 
project and will require about the same quantity of water per acre. 
Fifty thousand acres would therefore require the diversion of 195,000 
acre-feet. The combined storage capacity of the three proposed res- 
ervoirs is 174,634 acre-feet. Allowing the same percentage of loss in 
stream bed as is assumed for the first unit, only 141,000 acre- feet of 
this amount could have been diverted, leaving 54,000 acre- feet to be 
supplied directly from the river. An examination of the records of 
average flow of Stony Creek during the past nine years shows, how- 
ever, that only 31,600 acre-feet would have been available from this 
source after supplying the needs of the first unit. If an additional 
allowance is made for surplus reservoir capacity to tide over years in 
which the flow is insufficient to fill them, it is evident that the pro- 
posed reservoir capacity is too small for the irrigation of 50,000 acres. 

23. The costs per acre, as given above, must therefore be increased, 
possibly as much as 25 per cent. The land under the proposed exten- 
sions is entirely similar to that under the existing project. It is of 
good quality and capable of bearing a construction charge of $60 
to $75 an acre. All of it is in private ownership. 

24. The extensions are independent of the existing project except 
that the same diversion dam and main canals would probably be 
used, the latter being first enlarged. All of the extensions are 
feasible from an engineering standpoint. The first two are feasible 
in that the probable cost would not exceed what the land can bear. 
Because of high cost the feasibility of the third, or Briscoe unit, is 
very doubtful. These extensions do not include any public land, 
nor are any interstate or international features involved. These 
facts, together with the need of reclamation funds for the comple- 
tion of other projects now under way, lead to the conclusion that 
none of the extensions are advisable. 



38 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

25. Summary. — (1) The Orland project lies wholly within the 
State of California. 

(2) It covers the irrigation of 14,000 acres, all in private owner- 
ship. 

(3) The water supply is ample for this acreage. 

(4) It is feasible from an engineering standpoint, and the land 
can bear the probable construction cost — $45 per acre. 

(5) Its completion is advisable, except for the installation of the 
power plants, which are not an essential part of the project as 
originally undertaken. 

(6) Opportunity should be afforded the Water Users' Association 
to undertake this power installation at its own expense. 

(7) The extensions known as the second, third, and fourth units 
are feasible from an "engineering standpoint, but the first two only 
are economically feasible. None of them are advisable. 



Section V. 

GRAND VALLEY PROJECT, COLORADO. 

1. The board visited the Grand Valley project on September 18 
and 19, inspecting the lands now under irrigation and those to be 
irrigated in the vicinity of Grand Junction on September 18, and the 
irrigated lands and proposed line of new canals in the vicinity of 
Palisade on the 19th. 

2. On September 19 public hearings were held by the board at 
Palisade and at Grand Junction, at which opportunity was given 
those interested to express their views with regard to the prosecu- 
tion of work on this project. 

3. Location. — Grand Valley lies in the western part of Colorado 
about 40 miles east of the Utah line. It was formerly a part of the 
Ute Indian Reservation, but in 1881 the Indians were removed, and 
in 1882 the Denver & Rio Grande Railway extended its line into 
Grand Junction. These events inaugurated a rapid settlement of 
the va]ley, especially as a good water supply was available and irri- 
gation was practicable over large areas at moderate costs. Between 
that time and the present seven irrigation systems have been estab- 
lished, covering a total of about 60,000 acres of private land, most 
of which has proved very productive and is now held at a high valua- 
tion. The water supply for the project and the areas proposed to 
be irrigated lie within the limits of the State of Colorado. 

4. Description, — The Grand River flows for many miles in Colo- 
rado through a narrow deep canyon. At the town of Palisade the 
valley widens, offering ]arge areas of land suitable for cultivation 
when supplied with water. On the left or south bank there are being 
irrigated or being prepared for irrigation about 16,200 acres of land 
lying in a narrow strip above and below the mouth of the Gunnison 
River. On the right bank the bottom has a width of two to four 
miles, sloping up to gravelly mesas and thence extending back to 
broken adobe land at the foot of Little Book Cliffs. There are on 
this bank 97,000 acres of irrigable land, of which 44,000 acres are 
now being supplied with water by private ditches, leaving 53,000 



FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 39 

acres which are not at the present time reached by any irrigation 
systems. The purpose of the present project is to supply water to 
the 53,000 acres still unprovided for. 

5. This project early attracted private enterprise, but owing to 
the difficult nature of the ground in which a canal for this area must 
necessarily lie and the distance upstream it must extend to obtain 
sufficient elevation for a gravity canal, this project was considered a 
very expensive one. It was the intention of the Reclamation Service 
in 1902 to commence work on this project among the first, but at the 
request of individuals who stated that companies would undertake 
the work, the project was temporarily abandoned until it was ascer- 
tained by the companies that the time was not propitious for secur- 
ing capital. Request was made that the Reclamation Service resume 
operations on this project and accordingly a camp was established, 
a site for a diverting dam selected, a line of canal tentatively adopted, 
and other plans made. At this time the work was stopped by direc- 
tion of the Secretary of the Interior, pending the settlement of the 
controversy over damages for rights of way through private property 
in the vicinity of Palisade, and no further work has been done. 

6. The project, as at present outlined, is confined to the irrigation 
of the high land bordering the Little Book Cliffs and areas farther 
down the valley, all on the north side of the river. It will require 
a diversion dam in the canyon several miles above Palisade, and a 
canal partly in open cut and partly in tunnel, to conduct the water 
down the canyon to the main canal line bordering the cliffs. This 
canal line, as proposed, will have a capacity of 1,000 second-feet at 
its upper end. 

7. Transportation facilities. — The main line of the Denver and Rio 
Grande Railroad traverses the project from end to end. No farm 
unit of the project is more than 10 miles from some railroad station. 
In addition, an electric line between Grand Junction and Fruita will 
be able to switch standard cars from the railroad, thus affording 
additional facilities. 

8. Water supply. — The area of the watershed of the Grand River 
above Grand Junction is 8,644 square miles, and the average annual 
precipitation over this area is 15 inches. Records of the flow of the 
Grand River have been kept at either Grand Junction, Glenwood, or 
Palisade since 1897. From these records figures for the flow at Pali- 
sade have been developed. They show that in normal seasons a 
minimum of about 1,450 second-feet may be expected, and that in 
exceptionally dry years the minimum may drop to 950 second-feet 
in August and September. A hydrograph showing the daily flow 
during the average or representative years 1903 and 1906, and the 
years 1902, 1905, and 1910, which are years of low flow, is appended 
hereto. This hydrograph and the analysis of the water supply 
therewith were prepared by the Reclamation Service. 

9. From them it appears that a sufficient water supply for this 
project depends, first, upon an adjudication of water rights not 
radically different from that assumed by the Reclamation Service; 
second, upon the acquisition by purchase, by contract agreement as 
to substitution of gravity water for pumped water, or by condemna- 
tion, of the right to use for irrigation the water now used in the de- 
velopment of power by the Palisades irrigation district, the Mesa 



40 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 

County irrigation district, and Smith Bros. (Orchard Mesa Power). 
These aggregate 1,091 second- feet. 

10. While the assumption as to prior rights is deemed reasonable, 
the board believes that this project should not be undertaken until these 
rights have been adjudicated. As such an adjudication is now in 
progress, and as a decision is expected by March, 1911, there will be 
a delay of only a few months, the disadvantage of which will be more 
than offset by the advantage of knowing definitely what the prior 
appropriators are entitled to. The right to condemn power water 
for irrigation purposes has been sustained by the Colorado courts, 
so there is no reason to assume that the second of the two conditions 
can not be met. 

11. Lands. — The land which it is proposed to irrigate amounts to 
53,000 acres, as above mentioned, of which 30,070 acres are public 
land, 20,720 acres are private land, and 2,210 acres are homesteaded 
public land not subject to the reclamation act. It is thus seen that 
public land is approximately 60 per cent of the total. It should be 
added, however, that this public land fringes the cliffs or lies at the 
lower end of the project and includes the areas which are of lower 
value for cultivation because of poorer soil or greater difficulty of 
irrigation. It joins, however, land under cultivation which is now 
returning the owners large profits. Peaches are said to have yielded 
as high as $700 per acre per year in the vicinity of Palisade. Apples 
are said to have yielded as high as $600 per acre. Cantaloupes and 
melons are often profitably grown between trees in the orchards. 
Sugar beets are extensively raised. A beet-sugar factory at Grand 
Junction pays $5 per ton for beets delivered on the cars. Lands un- 
der cultivation in ordinary farm crops in the vicinity of Grand 
Junction are held at $200 to $400 per acre. Lands planted with 
bearing apple or pear trees sell at from $1,200 to $1,500 per acre. 

12. The average elevation of the irrigable area is about 4,700 feet 
above sea level. The average rainfall is 8 inches and the tem- 
perature ranges from a maximum of 100° to a minimum of 15° below 
zero. Although nothing can be raised in the Grand Valley without 
irrigation, it is so protected by the bluffs that large areas now irri- 
gated have been devoted to the raising of apples and, in the vicinity 
of Palisade, to peach cultivation. The gravelly land of the mesa 
seems well adapted to fruit raising. * The lower bottom lands yield 
good crops of grain, sugar beets, and alfalfa, but are not so well 
adapted to fruit culture. 

13. Under the various private irrigation systems now in operation, 
the building cost per acre for water has reached from $66 to $150, and 
from $2.50 to $6 for maintenance and operation. It seems clear that 
the project lands can pay back the estimated cost of this project with- 
out hardship. 

14. Cost of project. — No construction work has been done on this 
project, all expenditures having been for examinations and surveys 
except a small expenditure made for machinery and supplies after 
work was authorized and prior to its suspension. The total expendi- 
tures have been $74,170.80. The total estimated cost of completion 
of what is known as the " low line " is $3,621,663, or about $69 per 
acre, which includes $200,000 for right of way through existing fruit 
orchards in the vicinity of Palisades. The estimated cost of a line 
of canal 25 feet higher up, selected to avoid injury to these orchards, 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 



41 



is $4,685,741, or about $89 per acre. The following table, furnished 
by the Reclamation Service, sets forth the comparative estimates for 
completion of the project on the alternative locations: 



Items. 



Lower line 
through 
canyon. 



Higher line 
through 
canyon. 



Headworks 

Canal head gates to Palisades 

Canal, Palisades to Little Salt, Wash 

Remainder of main canal 

Laterals (43,560 acres) 

Power plant at Palisades 

Power plant at drop 

Right of way 

Engineering 

Unforeseen contingencies 

Administration 

Pumping plants 

Headquarters building and storage yard. 
Interest 



S200, 000 
944. 597 
727.025 
341,239 
260. 000 
20, 000 



$200, 000 
1, 637, 546 
961,673 
341, 239 
260, 000 
32, 000 
120, 000 



200, 000 
180.000 
200. 000 
122,914 
141, C65 
15. 000 
269, 823 



190, 000 
300,000 
160. 118 
119,005 
15,000 
349, 100 



3,621,663 4,685,741 



Unit cost, 53,000 acres . 



68.40 



88.50 



15. Although estimate of damage of $200,000 has been included, the 
difference between the costs of the two proposed lines is about 
$1,000,000. If the high line should be built this difference must be 
paid by the owners of lands irrigated by it. This difference will 
amount to nearly $20 per acre. 

16. Comments. — No engineering problems of special difficulty pre- 
sent themselves in connection with this project. The diversion dam 
in the Grand River can readily be constructed on the selected site. 
The canal line down the canyon must pass through three tunnels, 
requiring expensive construction, but in view of the character of the 
material no special difficulties are expected. About 9,500 acres above 
the high-line canal are to be supplied by pumping. Electric power 
is now being sold in the valley by private companies at moderate 
prices, and this power is relied upon for operating the pumps. This 
power may be supplemented by electricity generated in drops in the 
main canal. 

17. The principal question to be decided in connection with this 
project is which of the two canal lines shall be selected, the high line 
or the low line. Both of these lines have been surveyed and are now 
staked out on the ground. So far as the amount of land to be irri- 
gated is concerned, the two lines differ very little, the higher line 
covering only a few acres more than the lower. The advantage of the 
low line is the large saving of approximately $1,000,000 which would 
result from its adoption. The high line was located with a view to 
avoiding the destruction of highly developed orchards, which would 
be necessary if the low line were selected. At one time an agreement 
was reached between the Reclamation Service and the owners of the 
lands through which the low-line canal is to run, fixing the amount of 
the damages to these lands at $154,000. This appraisal was not ap- 
proved by the department, and a later estimate made by the Reclama- 
tion Service placed the total amount of damages which the United 
States was legally bound to pay at $75,138. A new appraisal was 
then made by the owners, who increased their claim to $404,188.25. 
An estimate transmitted to the board by the owners on October 24* 



42 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

1910, again increased the estimate of the damages to $540,335. The 
construction of the lower line involves the occupation of about 150 
acres of orchard, running in value from $350 to $3,500; but the right 
of way is already vested in the United States in accordance with the 
stipulated conditions under which the land was opened to homestead 
entry. Therefore no payment can be legally demanded for the land 
itself. 

18. From these figures it appears that to avoid damages to the 
highly developed orchard lands the land which it is proposed to 
irrigate will have to pay an additional construction cost exceeding the 
highest estimate for the damages by about $660,000, or over $12 per 
acre tor the 53,000 acres in the project. The board, therefore, is of 
the opinion that the low line should be selected as the location for the 
canal. The estimates of the owners as to the extent of damages to 
be incurred appear to be high, and if negotiations do not result in 
an agreement for a considerably smaller amount, then condemnation 
proceedings should be resorted to for the determination of the 
damages. 

19. Summary. — (1) The project is feasible from an engineering 
and an economic standpoint. 

(2) It lies within the limits of a single State — Colorado. 

(3) It contains 53,000 acres, of which 60 per cent is public land 
subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) The water supply will be sufficient for this project if the ad- 
judication of water rights when made is not radically different from 
what is assumed by the Reclamation Service and after the water now 
used by certain private owners for power has been acquired for irri- 
gation by agreement or condemnation. No extensive work should be 
done until the water supply is thus assured. 

(5) The estimated cost of completion of the high line is $4,685,741, 
and of the^ low line is $3,621,663, of which $74,170.80 has been ex- 
pended mainly in surveys and plans. 

(6) The lower-line canal should be adopted, and if a reasonable 
estimate of damages to permit this can not be obtained by agreement 
then condemnation proceedings should be instituted. 

(7) The productiveness of the land makes it probable that the con- 
struction cost of about $69 can be readily borne, or even $89, if the 
high line should be adopted. 

(8) The prosecution of this project is recommended conditional on 
an adjudication of water rights not materially different from that as- 
sumed by the Reclamation Service. 

(9) Subject to the above condition the following allotments are 
recommended for the four j^ears 1911-1914, inclusive : 

From the fund $500, 000 

From the loan 1, 000, 000 

Total 1, 500, 000 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 43 

Section VI. 

UNCOMPAHGRE PROJECT, COLORADO. 

1. This project, including the proposed reservoir site at Taylor 
Park, was inspected by the board as a whole, or by commitees, be- 
tween September 20 and September 23. Public hearings were held 
at Montrose on September 20 and at Delta on September 22. 

2. Location. — The Uncompahgre Valley lies in western Colorado 
near the mouth of the Uncompahgre River, which is a branch of the 
Gunnison River. This latter flows into the Grand. The entire 
project, including sources of the water supply, lie within the State 
of Colorado; the lands are located in Montrose and Delta counties. 

3. Early irrigation in valley. — The Uncompahgre Valley was first 
settled about 1882, and plans were made by private parties for irri- 
gating about 100,000 acres from the Uncompahgre River. Ditches 
were constructed, but it was found that there was not enough water, 
and in 1904 only 30,000 acres were under cultivation, and these with 
insufficient water. About the year 1900 the State Legislature of 
Colorado appropriated $25,000 to bring water by tunnel from the 
Gunnison River into the Uncompahgre Valley. The tunnel was 
started, but the appropriation being exhausted the uncompleted work 
was turned over to the Reclamation Service. The location of the 
tunnel was found unsuitable, and it was not used. 

4. Description. — The project, as undertaken by the Reclamation 
Service, provides for irrigating land lying in the Uncompahgre 
Valley with the water of the Uncompahgre River, supplemented by 
the water brought from Gunnison River. In case this does not suf- 
fice, a storage reservoir at Taylor Park on the Taylor River has been 
proposed. No suitable reservoir site has been found on the Uncom- 
pahgre River. 

5. The water from the Gunnison River is diverted into the Gunni- 
son Tunnel. On leaving the tunnel it flows through the South Canal 
for eleven miles and is dropped into the Uncompahgre River. By 
laterals from the South Canal 13,600 acres will be irrigated. From 
the Uncompahgre River, the water of that river, supplemented by 
that from the Gunnison, will be diverted at different points into six 
canal systems. The upper one, called the West Canal, irrigating 
7,200 acres, is yet to be constructed. The Montrose and Delta Canal 
system, covering 33,600 acres, and the Loutsenheizer system, cover- 
ing 24,600 acres, have been acquired by the Reclamation Service and 
are being enlarged and extended. Negotiations are in progress to 
acquire the Selig system, 9,000 acres; the Ironstone system, 26,000 
acres, and the Garnet system, 4,000 acres. In addition, a new sys- 
tem, called the East Canal system, covering 22,000 acres, and 
connected with the Loutsenheizer Canal, is to be built. 

6. Negotiations are also in progress to acquire a few additional 
minor canals belonging to private parties. These canals will be 
abandoned and the land irrigated by one of the above-mentioned 
systems. 

7. The Gunnison Tunnel is 6 miles long and has a capacity of 
1,300 cubic feet per second. It is completed excepting the diverting 
weir on the Gunnison River and the lining of the tunnel for 13,000 
feet. It has been carrying water during the past season. The South 



44 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Canal is practically completed. Final agreements as ^to the acquisi- 
tion by the United States of the remaining private canal systems 
have not yet been completed. It seems probable that these can be 
satisfactorily arranged, as the sentiments expressed at the public 
hearings were strongly in favor of the acquisition by the United 
States of all the canal systems. The secretary of the Water Users' 
Association stated that all private land in the project, except about 
5,000 acres, had subscribed for water, and, while the exact figures 
were not verified, it is believed that less than that acreage will re- 
main permanently out of the project. 

8. Water. — A discussion of the water supply is appended. There 
were numerous previous water rights aggregating 40 different 
ditches, of which 10 were of considerable size. On the assumption of 
the acquisition by the United States of the ditches within the project 
limits with their water rights, and making allowance for other rights, 
it appears that there will usually be sufficient water on the basis of 
2-| to 3 acre- feet at the farm when the Gunnison Tunnel is runnnig 
full — that is, about 1,300 second-feet. There will be years when 
the supply will be scant, and to insure what is needed a storage 
reservoir for Gunnison River water will, it is thought, prove neces- 
sary. The rainfall on watershed is from 7 to 20 inches. 

9. Land. — The total irrigable area under the project is 140,000 
acres, of which 106,000 are in private ownership and 34,000 acres 
public land, subject to the reclamation act. The larger part of the 
land withdrawn subject to the reclamation act has been entered for 
settlement. It is possible that these areas may be somewhat modified, 
as all of the private land has not yet been signed up for water. 
Most of the public land is generally on the higher benches and will, 
therefore, be the last to be brought under irrigation. 

10. The land irrigated this year has been about 40,000 acres, prac- 
tically all under cultivation before. Water was sold at a fixed price 
per second-foot. While the full quantity of water desired was not 
supplied this year, it is stated that, due to the extra water from the 
Gunnison River, an additional crop of alfalfa and larger crops of 
fruits and vegetables were obtained. No crops can be raised without 
irrigation. 

11. Of the 140,000 acres under the project, about 60,000 acres are 
of red disintegrated sandstone, a sandy soil particularly adapted to 
the raising' of fruits and vegetables; 80,000 acres of adobe, or clay 
loam, which gives good crops of alfalfa, grain, sugar beets, and other 
farm products. Alfalfa is the main crop. Potatoes and onions have 
been raised with marked success. It is claimed that the clay soil, 
after several years of cultivation, develops into good fruit land. 
There is a considerable portion ot waste land. About 40,000 non- 
irrigable acres, of which 20,000 acres are private, are included within 
the limits of the project, but not counted as irrigable area. 

12. The bottom land shows evidences of " swamping " in a number 
of places, some of which have been reclaimed by the construction of 
drainage ditches, and it is thought that all of it can be reclaimed. 
The land lying on the benches is not so much subject to " swamping," 
but it is probable that some drainage ditches will be required. An 
estimate of $210,000 is proposed by the Reclamation Service for 
drainage. There are not many indications of alkali. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 45 

13. Before the inauguration of the project lands without water 
were worth from $2 to $25 per acre. Lands under irrigation, used 
for alfalfa, grain, etc., were worth from $50 to $150 per acre. Prices 
are now $40 for land on the outskirts of the project and up to $800 
for fruit-bearing orchards. 

14. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad runs through the project, 
so that there is good railroad transportation. 

15. Engineering structures. — The Gunnison Tunnel is about 6 miles 
long, and cost about $100 per running foot. This is rather a high price, 
due to its great length, the difficulties under which is was constructed, 
the failure of the contractors and the necessity of taking it up by 
force account, the flooding at different intervals, the large amount of 
gas encountered, etc. 

16. The South, or main supply, Canal is for a considerable por- 
tion of its length lined with concrete, and at many points the earth 
thrust has forced the lining out of place. This is not considered 
serious. The drops in this canal are somewhat more costly than 
would seem to be necessary, but apparently fulfill their purpose. 
There is some leakage, but it is expected that this will be stopped by 
the gradual deposit of silt. 

17. No work has been done at the Taylor Park reservoir site, and 
no borings made, so that the cost of the dam is difficult to determine, 
and the estimate of $2,000,000 must be considered only as an ap- 
proximation. The storage capacity is estimated at 105,000 acre-feet. 
An examination indicates that a sufficiently good reservoir site ex- 
ists at this point, but that further investigations are desirable. As 
a whole the engineering features seem to be well studied out and 
carefully executed, economy being observed as far as conditions per- 
mitted. The proposed plan for completion appears satisfactory. 

18. Cost. — The total allotments to date aggregate $4,455,000, of 
which about $3,000,000 was applied to the construction of the Gun- 
nison Tunnel and the remainder to the purchase and enlargement of 
private canals, construction of South Canal, and for minor features. 
The cost of completion is estimated at $4,500,000, or an estimated 
total cost of $9,000,000, including $2,000,000 for the Taylor Park 
Storage Reservoir. The detailed estimate for completion is as fol- 
lows: 

1. Gunnison River weir $40, 000 

2. Gunnison Tunnel lining 305, 000 

3. Betterments, South Canal 50, 000 

4. South Canal lateral system 25, 000 

5. Betterments and lateral system, Montrose and Delta Canal 135, 000 

6. Enlargements and lateral system, Ironstone Canal 260, 000 

7. Cedar Creek lateral (part of South Canal system) 25,000 

8. West Canal and lateral system 350, 000 

9. Enlargement and lateral system, Loutsenheizer Canal 325, 000 

10. Enlargement and lateral system, Selig Canal 45, 000 

11. East Canal and lateral system 350,000 

12. Betterments, Garnet Canal 10,000 

13. Purchase of existing old rights and canals 225, 000 

14. Taylor Park Reservoir 2, 000. 000 

15. Contingencies * 400, 000 

4, 545, 000 
1 This item covers possible drainage systems, extensive renewals, etc. 



46 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

19. Independently of the storage system, the estimated final cost 
would be about $7,000,000, which for 140,000 acres would give a 
building charge of about $50 per acre. It is desirable, however, to 
include in the construction cost the reservoir, which is believed to be 
necessary. Due to uncertainties in the estimates, and possible in- 
creases in the unit costs, as well as to the uncertainty as to the amount 
of land which can be included, it would seem safe to estimate on a 
construction cost per acre of at least $70. 

20. The fruit land could stand this charge of $70 per acre, and 
probably all of the irrigable areas could do so in time. The cost of 
operation, when completed, is estimated at $0.75 to $1. It was the 
generally expressed opinion of the landowners that the land could 
bear these costs, except that some homesteaders felt that the burden 
would be heavy. This would seem, however, to be near the limit of 
construction cost that the land can bear. 

21. Returns to reclamation fund. — No returns have been received 
up to the present time except rent for water. Due to the large pro- 
portion of land now under cultivation and the probability of early set- 
tlement of public land when thrown open, practically all land should 
begin to pay construction costs as soon as the different canals and 
laterals are completed. 

22. Summary. — (1) The project is feasible from an engineering 
and economic standpoint. 

(2) All the project, including the water supply, lies within the 
State of Colorado. 

(3) The total irrigable area is 100,000 acres, of which about 32 
per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) On the assumption of the unification of private water rights 
and their acquisition by the United States, the water supply will be 
sufficient, though a storage reservoir is probably necessary. 

(5) The estimated expenditure, including storage reservoir, is 
$9,000,000, of which $4,455,000 have been allotted to December 31. 
1910. ' 

(6) The land can bear the construction cost estimated not to ex- 
ceed $70 per acre. 

(7) The board believes the project to be worthy. All matters con- 
nected with the acquisition of private canals should be settled as 
early as possible, and definite and binding agreements should be made 
as to repayment of building charges before large additional expendi- 
tures are authorized. 

(8) The following allotments are recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $2, 045, 000 

From the loan 1,500,000 

Total 3, 545, 000 



Section VII. 

MINIDOKA PROJECT, IDAHO. 

1. Inspection. — The board inspected this project, except the storage 
dam at Jackson Lake, Wyo., on September 10 and 11, including in 
the inspection a private project on the south side of the river at Twin 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 47 

Falls, Idaho. From September 12 to 14, inclusive, was spent by a 
committee of three members of the board in going to, inspecting, and 
returning from the reservoir site at Jackson Lake. A public hearing 
was held on September 10 at Burley, Idaho. 

2. Location. — The project is located in Lincoln and Cassia Coun- 
ties, Idaho, and lies on both sides of the Snake River. The Minidoka 
& Southern Railroad runs through the project, leaving the main line 
at Minidoka, with terminus at Buhl. 

3. Description. — The lands are to be irrigated partly by gravity 
and partly by pumping, of which, under the latter method, there are 
three units, all on the south side of the river. The main features 
comprise a storage and diversion dam 6 miles from Minidoka, Idaho, 
called the Minidoka Dam, the storage lake being called Lake Walcott, 
a generating power' plant at Minidoka Dam, distributing canals, three 

Eumping plants for the pumping units, and a storage dam at Jackson 
iake, Wyo., about 275 miles above the Minidoka Dam. The essential 
features of the dam and power plant at Minidoka Dam and of the 
pumping plants are given in Appendix 1 to this section. 

4. The distribution system takes its origin at Lake Walcott, two 
main canals leading from it, one on each side of the river. The north- 
side main canal extends westwardly from the dam and lake a distance 
of 13 miles, where it divides into two systems, one covering the area 
south of the railroad and the other the area north. This main canal 
has at its origin a capacity of 1,400 second-feet and serves the 68,500 
acres of the north-side gravity system. This distribution system is 
almost completed. The south-side main canal, with a capacity of 850 
second-feet, pursues a southwesterly course for 13 miles, minor lat- 
erals being taken out at intervals, serving 7,500 acres by gravity. At 
the end of this canal is placed the pumping works for the first pump- 
ing unit. These pumps lift 500 second-feet to the main canal for this 
unit, which carries 110 second-feet in a westerly course 18 miles, irri- 
gating 10,500 acres of land. Just beyond the first pumping unit is 
placed the second unit, lifting 375 second-feet to the main canal of 
this unit, which in turn extends westerly 22 miles, carrying 160 
second-feet and irrigates 16,000 acres. A short distance along the 
main canal of the second lift is located the third pumping unit, lift- 
ing 200 second-feet to the main canal of this unit. This canal has a 
full length of 25 miles and irrigates 22,000 acres. The lift at each 
plant is 30 feet. On the north side of the river only the main laterals 
are constructed by the United States, the construction of the farm 
laterals being left to the landowners. On the south side, however, 
owing to the more difficult nature of the ground, the laterals are 
carried to each farm unit. 

5. During the winter months the pumping plants do not require 
power, therefore arrangements have been made to dispose of the elec- 
trical power to the towns on the project. Transmission lines, sub- 
stations, etc., are being put in and delivery of power is expected to. 
begin this fall. Additional charge is made for power and heat dur- 
ing June, July, and August. The returns from this sale of power 
after reimbursement of cost of special installations therefor, and 
their operation and maintenance will go to reduce the operation and 
maintenance charges. 



48 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

6. There are three Government town sites on this project — Acequia, 
Rupert, and Hayward — on the north side of the river. There is a 
private town site — Burley — on the south side. 

7. Water supply. — The water supply for this project is taken from 
the Snake River, having a watershed above the diversion dam of 
22,000 square miles. The average elevation of the watershed is 6,000 
feet above sea level, with an estimated average annual rainfall of 
about 21 inches. The duty of water on this project is taken at 3 
acre- feet per annum, measured on the land. The rainfall on the irri- 
gable area averages 14 inches per annum, but on account of the char- 
acter of the soil this amount is too small to allow profitable cultiva- 
tion without irrigation. 

8. Allowing for prior filings, the natural flow of the river is not 
sufficient to supply the needs of the project for irrigation during the 
low water. This deficiency is supplied by storage at Lake Walcott 
and Jackson Lake. At Lake Walcott storage for about 52,000 acre- 
feet is now provided, and at Jackson Lake works are now in process 
of construction which will provide storage for 380,000 acre-feet, or 
a total of 432,000 acre-feet. The flood flow of the river occurs during 
the earlier half of the irrigation season, and therefore the storage will 
not be drawn upon until the early part of July nor required after 
the middle of October. It would appear, as shown in Appendix 2 
to this section, that the storage provided is ample to supply the needs 
of this project for the lands involved. As the low-water flow of the 
Snake River up to 3,400 second-feet must pass over the Minidoka 
Dam, supplying the Twin Falls projects farther down the river, it is 
evident that the power rights at Minidoka Dam, for which filing 
was made January 30, 1909, for 2,500 second-feet, are amply pro- 
tected. 

9. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 4,200 
feet above sea level and the average yearly rainfall 14 inches. Dry 
farming is not successful. The total amount of land under this 
project is 124,500 acres, of which 101,600 are public, 19,800 State, and 
3,100 private. Under the gravity system are 76,000 acres, of which 
68,500 are on the north side and 7,500 on the south side. Under the 
pumping system are included three lifts covering 48,500 acres on the 
south side. A fourth pumping unit, also lifting 30 feet, comprising 
5,000 to 7,000 acres, was considered. If the lift in this unit is re- 
duced to 15 feet, 2,500 acres could be covered. The lands in this 
project are shown on the accompanying map. Owing to the prac- 
ticability of large extensions to the power facilities at Minidoka 
Dam, it is possible to irrigate by pumping about 100,000 acres in 
addition to the areas now included in the project. This would 
involve, of course, the construction of other reservoirs. The size of 
the farm unit is 40 acres near town sites and 80 acres farther out. 
The private-land unit is 160 acres. Of the State lands under the 
pumping unit about 10,000 acres have been sold in 40-acre tracts, but 
the State is making no effort to sell the remainder of its lands. It is 
suggested that an effort be made to induce the State to dispose of 
these lands, as otherwise the water rights of the United States may 
be adversely affected through lack of beneficial use. _ The value of 
the lands is reported to be $100 per acre under irrigation, and at the 
public hearing it was stated that a construction charge of $50 per 
acre could be easily carried. The soil is clay, disintegrated lava, 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 49 

sandy loam, and loose sandy soil underlaid with lava rock tit depths 
varying from 1 to 100 feet. The crops are alfalfa, grains, corn, 
vegetables, some fruits, with a probability that sugar beets will be 
found a profitable crop. A demonstration farm is maintained by the 
Reclamation Service on an unsold portion of the town site of 
Heyburn. 

10. On the south side the lands slope well toward the river and 
possibly will not need drainage for some years. On the north side 
the land is undulating and disposal of waste water is more difficult. 
A drainage ditch has been started, which will pass through the entire 
tract on this side if found necessary. Underlying these lands are 
found porous beds of lava and gravel, and drainage of some of the 
low basins has been tried by sinking drainage wells to depths* of 200 
feet into these porous beds. These have been fairly successful where 
tried, but are as yet only an experiment. 

11. Cost— The cost of the project to June 30, 1910, was $3,330,770 
for irrigation and $42,955 for drainage. The estimated subsequent 
expenditures are as follows: 

General expense $47, 550 

Diversion dam and bendworks 22, G10 

Main south side canal 88, 140 

Power station 67, 330 

Pumping stations 193, 750 

Transmission lines 17, 620 

Telephone lines * 4, 600 

South side pumping and distribution system 44, 720 

Office buildings and quarters 10, 700 

Small extensions and miscellaneous 50, 580 

Commercial light and power 14, 280 

Lake Walcott storage 21, 000 

Equipment and material in stores 89, 650 

Jackson Lake storage :_ 281, 000 

Total 774,230 

Waste water or drainage system 357, 045 

The estimated total cost is, therefore, $4,105,000 for irrigation and 
$400,000 for drainage. 

12. The building charge for lands under the pumping system has 
not yet been announced, but will probably be in the neighborhood of 
$50 per acre. It is proposed by the Reclamation Service to fix the 
charge so that the total expenditures on the project will be returned 
to the United States. The building charge for the gravity system 
was first set at $22 per acre. This was found to be too low, and in 
order to make up a part of the deficit thus caused, on March 30, 
1909, the Secretary of the Interior announced that for the gravity 
unit on all public lands (including relinquishments) thereafter en- 
tered and on all unsold State lands the building charge would be $30 
per acre. Data furnished do not enable a precise determination of 
the amount of land that is affected by this advance, but it appears 
that approximately 70,000 acres will pay $22 and 6,000 acres $30. 
With these figures and the estimated costs above given, it is evident 
that the charge (not yet announced) to the lands under the pumping 
units must be over $49 in order to return to the United States the 
total expenditures on the project. If the drainage system, estimated 
to cost $400,000, be included in the construction charge for the 68,500 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 4 



50 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

acres on the north side served by it, $6 per acre should be added to 
the charge for those lands. It would, of course, not be proper to add 
any of the cost of this drainage to the construction charges for the 
pumping units or to those for the south side gravity unit. It must 
be collected from the 68,500 acres benefited, either as a supplemental 
construction charge or in the form of increased operation and main- 
tenance charge on them. If divided over 10 years, this extra cost 
would be in either case about 60 cents per acre per annum. 

13. During the season 1909 about 30,000 acres in the gravity unit 
were actually irrigated and 3,600 acres in the pumping units. For 
1910 the corresponding figures are 48,000 and 4,000 acres. The charge 
for operation and maintenance for 1910 is $0.60 and $1.50 per acre 
for the gravity and pump lands, respectively. The total estimated 
cost of operation and maintenance to December 31, 1910, is placed by 
the project engineer at $132,105 (assuming the experimental farm to 
be self-supporting) , and the accruals to the same date are estimated at 
$130,600. In ensuing years there should be no deficit in operation 
and maintenance. At the public hearing a request was made for an 
extension of the project to include a fourth pumping unit. This 
unit had been considered in the earlier studies of the project, and 
lands under it had been reserved under the reclamation act. Settlers 
have taken up lands under the act and are naturally anxious to have 
the works extended to cover them, but on account of the large con- 
struction cost the Reclamation Service decided that it would be im- 
practicable to do so. The correctness of this decision is concurred in. 
All of these lands should be released, if this has not already been done. 

14. The construction of the Minidoka Dam necessitated the aban- 
donment of the water wheels used in irrigation of the Howell ranch, 
just below the dam site on the south side of the river. A contract has 
been made with the owner by which the Reclamation Service agrees 
to furnish water for 156 acres for $50 rental price yearly. 

15. Comments. — The engineering work on this project seems to 
have been well done. At Jackson Lake a temporary crib dam was 
constructed in 1906-7 to supply storage, pending design of permanent 
works and decision as to whether the offer of private parties to com- 
bine in the construction of large storage dams to serve both their own 
needs and those of the Government should be accepted. This dam 
was washed out in 1909, and immediate replacement was necessary. 
The design of the new structure, providing for the needs of the Gov- 
ernment only, is well adapted to the site. The method of changing 
the Minidoka Dam from a plain diversion dam to include storage is 
somewhat unusual in design, but appears to be successful, the only 
thought being that in the form constructed it may be subject to dam- 
age from ice or drift. The construction of the power house over the 
part of the dam containing the sluice gates, which were put in for the 
purpose of draining the reservoir, renders it impossible to use these 
sluice gates without removing the draft tubes in front of the sluices 
which it is desired to use. 

16. Summary. — (1) The Minidoka project is feasible from an 
engineering and economic point of view. 

(2) This project is interstate in character in that, while the irri- 
gable area lies in Idaho, a large part of the water for it is stored in 
another State, Wyoming. 



FUND FOE KECLAMATION OF AKID LANDS. 51 

(3) Of the total area of 124,500 acres in the project, 101,600 acres, 
or 83.2 per cent, are public, subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) The water supply is ample. 

(5) The total estimated expenditures are $4,505,000, of which 
$3,373,725 had been expended to June 30, 1910. 

(6) The land will bear the construction charges. In the case of 
the pumping units, these charges approximate very closely the sum 
which the land can at present bear, but future increases in value and 
better knowledge of irrigation methods may, perhaps, render this 
charge more easily borne. For the gravity unit, the construction 
charge has been announced at $22 per acre for 70,000 acres, more or 
less, and at $30 per acre for 6,000 acres, more or less. For the pump- 
ing units the charge, not yet announced, is estimated at $50, approxi- 
mately. 

(7) This project should be completed as rapidly as funds will 
permit. 

(8) None of the extensions should be undertaken until the project 
as now defined has been completed. 

(9) The following allotment is recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $528,000 



Section VIII. 
BOISE PROJECT, IDAHO. 

1. The board visited this project by a committee of three members 
on September 8 and 9, 1910, inspecting on those dates the principal 
features. On September 8 a public meeting was held at Nampa, 
Idaho, and on September 9 one was held at Caldwell, at both of 
which great interest was shown in the early completion of the project. 
A committee of the board inspected the site for the proposed storage 
dam on the headwaters of the Boise River on September 25, 1910. 

2. Location. — The project is located in the southwestern part of 
Idaho in the valleys of the Snake and Boise Rivers, in Ada and Can- 
yon Counties. Its limits are wholly within the State of Idaho. The 
project is served by the Oregon Short Line, the Idaho Northern Rail- 
road, and by the Boise Valley and the Boise and Interurban electric 
lines. The principal towns are Boise, Nampa, and Caldwell. 

3. Description. — The original Payette-Boise project included an 
area of 402,700 acres and was divided into four subdivisions, as 
follows : 

First. The Payette division, comprising lands in the Payette Valley 
and part of the Boise Valley, the total area being 72,000 acres, of 
which 60,000 were desert and 12,000 under cultivation. 

Second. The North Side Boise unit, comprising lands on the north 
side of the Boise River under Farmers Union Canal, the total area 
being 33,000 acres, of which 25,000 acres were desert and 8,000 culti- 
vated. 

Third. The South Side Boise unit, comprising 272,000 acres, of 
which 109,000 acres were already irrigated or provided with canals 
of sufficient capacity therefor. 



52 FUKD FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS, 

Fourth. The Succor Creek division, comprising lands on the south 
side of Snake River near the Idaho-Oregon State line, the total area 
being 25,700 acres, of which 10,000 acres were to be served by reser- 
voirs on Succor Creek and 15,700 by pumping from the Snake River, 
the power for which was to be obtained from the proposed Payette 
Canal. 

4. Owing to the lack of funds and legal complications, and in re- 
sponse to petition of settlers in the North Side and Payette subdi- 
visions, three of these subdivisions have been abandoned for the 
present, as well as certain portions of the third subdivision aggre- 
gating 29,000 acres. Forty thousand acres of land, reserved for the 
Payette division, have been restored to entry, and settlers are pro- 
posing to take up this work by private enterprise. 

5. The project as now defined lies within the third subdivision 
above enumerated, and comprises a total of 243,000 acres, of which 
164,000 are new lands and 79,000 are old lands already under irriga- 
tion from private ditches. The relationship existing between the 
owners of these canals and the Government will be described later. 
A map of the locality showing the lands to be irrigated is herewith 
appended. 

6. The main works are : The diversion dam in the Boise River, the 
Deer Flat Reservoir, the distributing system, and the proposed stor- 
age dam on the headwaters of the Boise River. The diversion dam 
in the Boise River lies about 8 miles above the city of Boise, and from 
it leads a small canal on the north side supplying a small area on 
that side, and a main canal on the south side with a capacity of about 
2,500 second-feet. This latter canal extends in a southwesterly direc- 
tion and empties into Indian Creek. The waters flow down Indian 
Creek for a distance of 9 miles, where they are again diverted by 
means of a dam and headgates to the second stretch of the main 
canal 8 miles in length, terminating in the Deer Flat Reservoir, the 
available capacity of which is 170,000 acre-feet. This main canal was 
acquired from the New York Canal Co., and besides supplying the 
reservoir irrigates the company lands and certain new lands. To 
serve these purposes suitable enlargement is now being made. The 
reservoir is formed in a natural depression by two embankments 
containing about 1,000,000 cubic yards each. From it are led three 
distributing canals to various parts of the project. A certain amount 
of storage will be necessary on the headwaters of the Boise River to 
fully irrigate the area comprised in this project. A brief description 
of the Deer Flat embankments will be found in the appendices to 
this section, together with the report of the committee of the board 
which inspected the storage site on the Boise River. 

7. Water supply. — The source of the water supply for this project is 
the Boise River, the watershed of which, above the diversion dam, is 
approximately 2,610 square miles, with an average rainfall of about 
25 inches. The maximum run-off of the Boise River is about 
3,000,000 acre-feet, the mean about 2,000,000 acre-feet, and the mini- 
mum 1,000,000 acre-feet. The flood season covers generally the months 
of March, April, May, June, and a portion of July, and during these 
months there is usually ample water for all purposes without storage. 
After the flood season is past the normal flow of the river must be 
supplemented by storage. The duty of water is taken at 2-J acre-feet 
per acre per annum measured on the land. Within the project are 



FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 53 

two private irrigation districts, as well as the land owned by the New 
York Canal Co. The districts consist of the Pioneer irrigation dis- 
trict, controlling the Phyllis and Caldwell Canals, covering 36,000 
acres, all irrigated, and the Nampa and Meridian district, controlling 
the Ridenbaugh Canal, covering 25,000 acres, irrigated, and 30,000 
acres of unirrigated land. The latter will be irrigated through the 
district distributing system by water furnished by the Government. 
The New York Canal Co. owns 18,000 acres under irrigation lying 
under the main canal of the project. All of these lands have ade- 
quate flood-water rights, and the total low-water flow of the river 
has been appropriated many times over. The adjudication of water 
rights in the valley has been before the courts and the total prior 
appropriation was determined, amounting to 2,754.8 second-feet. 
The Reclamation Service regarded this adjudication as excessive in 
amount and appealed to the superior court. The case has been re- 
manded for retrial and a temporary decree handed down fixing the 
private appropriations at a total of 60 per cent of this amount. 
The final adjudication of these rights is important, inasmuch as upon 
it will depend the amount of storage necessary on the headwaters of 
the Boise River for a given amount of land, or will determine the total 
acreage that can be irrigated under the Government project with the 
storage now proposed. 

8. The United States has acquired rights under Idaho State laws 
to a flow of 1,647 second-feet from the Boise River for the use of 
the main south side canal and has applied for 3,553 second-feet addi- 
tional water for use in the main south side canal, Deer Flat Reser- 
voir, and Boise River Reservoir w T hen constructed. 

9. In making a study of the water supply the following assump- 
tions are made by the project engineer, viz : That there is a 10 per 
cent loss in filling Deer Flat Reservoir ; that there is a 30 per cent loss 
in the lateral system above the reservoir and a 30 per cent loss in the 
distributing system below the reservoir; that seepage losses are 0.5 
acre-foot per month for each acre of submerged area in the Deer Flat 
Reservoir; that evaporation losses equal 5.33 acre-feet for the entire 
year ; and that the rainfall is not considered. Based on these assump- 
tions and on the measured discharges of the river, there is available 
for storage on the headwaters not less than 200,000 acre- feet. The 
amount required to be stored in this reservoir for the project for the 
years given would have been as shown in the following table : 

1895 184, 000 

1898 151, 000 

1902 167, 000 

1903 144, 000 

1904 100, 000 

1905 226, 000 

1906 124, 000 

1907 97, 000 

1908 86, 000 

1909 40, 000 

The mean of these amounts is 131,000 acre-feet. If a storage of 
150,000 acre-feet is provided, sufficient water would be available for 
the project seven years out of the ten, and for the remaining three 
years in only one, 1905, would the deficiency have been serious, and 
even for that year the lack of water would not have been sufficient to 
have prevented fair crops being grown. On account of the high cost 



54 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

of this storage, reservoir capacity beyond this amount does not seem 
warranted. 

10. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 2,500 
feet above sea level, and the average rainfall is about 13 inches, an 
amount too small to permit successful dry farming in this locality. 
At the present time the distribution system is capable of delivering 
water to 187,338 acres. Of these, 108,338 acres, comprising 1,237 
farm units, are new land. There remain 652 farm units, comprising 
an area of 55,806 acres, for which the distribution system is not com- 
pleted. During the present season 30,000 acres were irrigated, of 
which 18,000 acres are under the New York Canal, receiving water 
under agreement described below, and 12,000 acres were new lands. 
Of the 243,000 acres, 85,820 are entered subject to the reclamation act, 
30,059 are State lands, and 127,130 are private lands. 

11. With regard to the lands under the old canals, the status is as 
follows : 

(a) An agreement was made with the New York Canal Co., dated 
March 3, 1906, by which the United States is to carry in its main 
canal, which was the main canal of the New York Canal Co., 277.86 
second-feet of water, subject to the priority determined by the courts 
for the stockholders of this company, as a consideration for the use 
of the canal and its right of way. This water is to irrigate the lands 
originally under the New York Canal and they are to pay an equit- 
able portion of the annual cost of operation and maintenance of 
this project, but otherwise receive their water without cost, so far as 
the United States is concerned. 

(b) An agreement was also entered into with the Idaho-Iowa Lat- 
eral & Reservoir Co., dated March 3, 1906, based on the carrying 
rights held by their company in the New York Canal, in considera- 
tion for which the Reclamation Service is to fill annually from the 
unregulated flow of the Boise River certain reservoirs, total capacity 
not to exceed 10,000 acre-feet, with specific allowances for seepage 
and evaporation losses. The company is to pay its proportionate 
part annually of the cost of delivering water to the entire reservoir 
system along the main canal. 

(c) Another agreement, with the Nampa-Meridian Irrigation dis- 
trict, dated April 1, 1909, provides for the enlargement and con- 
struction of irrigation canals in that district, by the Reclamation 
Service, for the delivery of the water into the canals of the district 
by the Reclamation Service, and the distribution by the district of 
this water to the Government users in the district. The water users 
are to pay the Reclamation Service for the construction and the 
general operation and maintenance charges and the Reclamation 
Service is to pay the district for its services in delivering water to 
the lands. 

12. Members of the Riverside, Pioneer, and Nampa-Meridian dis- 
tricts subscribed to stock of the Payette-Boise Water Users' Associa- 
tion under contracts allowing a credit to them of $14 per acre, or a 
proportional part thereof depending on the water rights, as the 
value of the works and water rights of the subscribers, who were in 
due course to be supplied with full water from the project by the 
United States. These credits and the method of proportioning them 
were accepted by the department and appropriate provision is to be 
made in the public notice opening these portions of the project. Dur- 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 55 

ing the present year the Riverside Irrigation was released from its 
contract at its own request. Should the present arrangement be 
carried out with the other two districts, it is estimated by the project 
engineer that 30,000 acre-feet additional of stored water will be 
needed. Owing to the difficulty and high cost of obtaining this ad- 
ditional storage, it would be advisable to terminate the contracts of 
the Pioneer and Nampa-Meridian districts by mutual consent, if 
practicable. For these reasons neither the lands concerned nor the 
water supply for them have been further discussed in this report. 

13. Cost. — The expenditures on this project to June 30, 1910, have 
been $3,404,327.18. The estimated additional cost to complete is as 
follows : 

General expense $356, 000. 00 

Examinations and reconnoissances 7, 000. 00 

Diversion dam 8, 000. 00 

Main south side canal 482,115.00 

Distribution system from main canal 675, 414. 93 

Storage, Deer Flat Reservoir 107, 000. 00 

Distribution system, Deer Flat Reservoir 382, 619. 00 

Storage on Boise River 5, 200, 000. 00 

Penitentiary Canal 1, 960. 00 

Irrigable lands 13, 000. 00 

Operation and maintenance 200, 000. 00 

Telephone system 15, 000. 00 

Total 7,448, 108. 93 

The total estimated cost of completion is therefore $10,852,435.11. 
This estimate contains an item for storage on the headwaters of the 
Boise River which is approximate only, as full data regarding it have 
not yet been obtained. Field parties are now at work investigating 
various sites for this storage. From the information already gath- 
ered it is evident that this work will be costly per acre-foot of storage. 
It may also be remarked that the storage required can not yet be 
definitely determined as the final adjudication of the water rights on 
the Boise River has not yet been made. 

14. If we assume that this total cost is divided among 164,000 
acres of land, the construction cost per acre will be about $66. This 
expenditure will be divided approximately equally between the Boise 
River storage and the remainder of the project. As this storage 
contemplates a capacity of 150,000 acre-feet, it is seen that it will 
cost about $35 or more per acre-foot. This high cost can not be 
avoided, because of the unfavorable condition for storage existing on 
the headwaters of the Boise River. 

15. No amount has as yet been fixed by the Reclamation Service 
for the construction charge, but from facts developed at the hearings 
and from information received by the board during its inspection, 
the board is of the opinion that the lands will be able to bear the con- 
struction charge that may result from the completion of the project 
with reasonable economy. Lands in the project without water are 
selling at from $50 to $75 per acre. Lands under cultivation with 
fairly good water rights under the old canals are selling at from 
$150 to $250, and even as high as $500 per acre. The soil is fertile, 
easily worked, and the climate is well adapted to fruit raising, as 
well as to the growing of grains and alfalfa. Large crops are the 
rule, with sufficient water for irrigation. Owing to the fact that 



56 FUND FOE RECLAMATION" OF ARID LANDS. 

flood water irrigation under a rental basis is being taken up by the 
farmers as fast as the distribution system is completed, these farmers 
are raising small crops and will have no difficulty, with reasonable 
foresight and care, in meeting the payments as they fall due. 

16. As the construction cost has not yet been announced, there 
should be no loss to the United States, as it can be fixed so as to return 
to the fund the total cost. At present the operation and maintenance 
charges are partially met by a rental charge of $0.75 per acre to 
lands receiving water through the partially completed system, the 
receipts for 1909 being $12,708.71 and the expenditures $40,327.52. 
The deficit is charged to construction account and an item of $200,000 
is included in the estimate to cover such deficit until the project 
becomes self-supporting. 

17. Comments. — Generally speaking, it is believed that the works 
have been constructed with due regard to sound engineering princi- 
ples. There is no serious engineering difficulty to be overcome, and 
the project is feasible. While neither of the Deer Flat embank- 
ments has as yet been subjected to any very great head of water, some 
leakage is shown through or under the upper one, and it is believed 
that they should both be watched with care as the water rises in order 
to determine whether the leakage increases to any alarming extent. 
Attention is also invited to the probability of leakage through the 
bottom of the reservoir. The cost of the proposed storage on the 
upper Boise will be high, and the board believes that it will be wise 
to defer the construction of this reservoir until the water rights have 
been finally adjudicated and until the quantity of water necessary 
to be stored in this reservoir is determined with more exactness. 

18. Summary. — (1) The Payette-Boise project is feasible from an 
engineering and an economic standpoint. 

(2) It lies wholly within the limits of the State of Idaho. 

(3) Of these lands, amounting to 243,000 acres, 35 per cent is pub- 
lic land subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) The water supply is sufficient in all except very dry years,, 
during which there may be some lack of water. 

(5) The total estimated cost is $10,852,435.11, of which $3,404,- 
327.18 had been expended to June 30, 1910. 

(6) The lands can bear the construction charges, approximately 
estimated at $66 per acre. 

(7) The project is worthy of completion at such rate as funds can 
be allotted and the work economically performed. 

(8) The contracts now exiting for supplying water to members 
of the Nampa-Meridian and of the Pioneer irrigation districts should 
be terminated by mutual consent, if practicable. 

(9) The following allotments are recommended for the four years,. 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $4,585,435 

From the loan 2, 000, 00O 

Total 6, 585, 435 



FUND FOE EECLAMATION OF AKID LANDS. 57 

Section IX. 

GARDEN CITY PROJECT, KANSAS. 

1. The board visited this project on October 19, 1910, inspecting; 
the power plant, one of the pumping units, the concrete conduit, and 
a portion of the irrigable lands. A public meeting was . held at 
Garden City on the same day, at which the directors of the Finney 
County Water Users' Association were present. 

2. Location. — This project is located on the Arkansas River, in 
Finney and Kearney Counties, in the western part of Kansas. Trans- 
portation facilities are furnished by the Santa Fe Railway, and there 
is also a short railroad connecting Garden City, the principal town 
in the project, with Scott City, Kans. 

3. Description. — Prior to the adoption of this project by the Recla- 
mation Service there was already a cooperative irrigation system 
which included most of the lands now in the project. This old 
system consisted of a canal, called the Farmers' Ditch, about IT miles 
long, heading in the Arkansas River about \\ miles east of Deerfield. 
During flood stages in the river water was diverted into the canal and 
from the canal was distributed by laterals to the lands. There was 
no permanent diversion dam, but at low stages a temporary barrier 
was built, when needed, to give sufficient head for a flow in the 
canal. For the larger part of the irrigation season the flow in the 
river was insignificant. About 20,000 acres of irrigable land could 
be reached by the ditches, but not all of it was included in the system,, 
only about 8,600 acres being served with the occasional irrigations. 

4. The object of the works of the Reclamation Service is to sup- 
plement this insufficient irrigation by pumping from the under- 
ground flow of the Arkansas, the pumped water being turned into 
the Farmers' Canal near its head. The water users retain owner- 
ship and direction of the distribution system and control of the water 
after it is discharged into their canal. The works constructed by 
the Reclamation Service consist of a central electrical power plant,, 
located near Deerfield, and 23 electrically operated pumping units. 
Oil is used for fuel. The capacity of the plant is 600 horsepower. 
The 23 pumping units are located about 1,000 feet apart, along a 
concrete-lined canal about 20,000 feet long. Ten of these stations are 
on the north side of the river and 13 on the south side. Water from 
the south part of the concrete canal passes under the river in a 
wooden-stave pressure pipe. At each of 3 of the pumping stations 
there is a group of twelve 15-inch wells, and at the other 20 stations 
the groups consist of 9 wells each. At each station the wells are 
connected by suction pipe to a vertical-shaft centrifugal pump driven 
by a 25-horsepower motor. The power house is built of concrete and 
pressed brick and the pumping stations of concrete. The power house 
and the installations therein, the pumping stations, and the concrete 
canal appear to be well built and in good condition. The farmers' 
ditches were not inspected by the board, but the reclamation officials 
state that they are in very poor condition. 

5. Water supply. — Each of the 23 pumps has a rated capacity of 5 
second-feet under the maximum head expected, and the calculations of 
the reclamation engineer indicated that the yield from each battery of 
wells would more than supply the pump. The entire pumping plant 



58 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



was designed to supply 100 second- feet for an irrigation period of 
150 days, or a total of 30,000 acre-feet. The duty of water is taken at 
2 acre-feet at the farm, and allowing one-third loss for seepage, 30,000 
acre-feet would suffice for the 10,000 acres in the project even though 
no water was obtained from the flood flow of the river. It was in- 
tended that the pumping should be discontinued whenever there was 
sufficient water diverted from the river. So far as the board is aware, 
no data were available when the project was undertaken to show what 
had been the average quantity of water diverted per irrigation season. 

6. An appropriation of 200 second-feet of the underflow of the 
Arkansas at Deerfield was made on July 7, 1905, on behalf of the 
United States, and notice was duly filed and posted as required by the 
laws of Kansas. Subsequent to this filing the United States Sugar & 
Land Co. installed at Deerfield, above the Government line of pump- 
ing stations, a pumping plant to furnish water for irrigation of lands 
owned or controlled by the company. As the pumping at this place 
was apparently injuring the underground flow to the Government 
pumps, suit was instituted against this company in the State courts. 
It is understood that the suit has been withdrawn without having 
come to trial. 

7. The records of the Reclamation Service show that under contin- 
uous operation the plant can not deliver the expected supply of water. 
During the season of 1909 the amount of water supplied to the irri- 
gated lands from the several sources is given in the following table : 



Months. 



Length of time 

pumps were 

operated. 



From 

pumping 

plant. 



From Ar- 
kansas 
River. 



From rain- 
fall. 



April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September . 

Total 



Days. 
22 
20 
12 
19 
19 
2 



9G 



Hours. 
12 

2 
17 
18 

4 
12 



Acre-feet. 
1,227 
1,632 
1,036 
1,745 
1,810 
105 



Acre-feet. 



1,265 
1,818 
1,844 
3,144 



17 



7,555 



8,071 



Inches. 
0.20 
2.06 
3.28 
6.22 
.81 
1.20 



13.77 



This pumping represents an average rate for the 96.7 days of about 
39 second-feet, but the available records do not show whether this 
represents the maximum possible output for long periods of pump- 
ing. The Director of the Reclamation Service stated in one of his 
printed reports: 

With the available water supply, and without assistance from river water 
or rainfall, it is believed that not more than 4,000 acres could be properly 
irrigated. 

From the above information the board concludes that the supply 
of water, including both river and pumped water, will be insufficient 
in dry seasons for the full irrigation of the area included in the 
project. 

8. Shortly after they were installed a test of the pumps showed 
that they had the rated capacity, and the shortage in the anticipated 
output must be due to the failure of the wells to furnish water to 
the pumps. The continuous operation of the pumps soon lowers the 
water level in the vicinity of the wells, and the flow through the sub- 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 59 

soil is not sufficiently rapid to prevent this. Whether the proximity 
of the plant of the sugar company affects this supply to the pumps is 
not known ; nor can it be stated what effect a more widely distributed 
location of the wells would have on the output. The indications are, 
however, that the deficiency is due to a much slower rate of under- 
ground flow than was estimated when the plans for the project were 
adopted and that a wider dispersion of the wells would have pro- 
duced better results. 

9. The experiment has been made of operating the pumps in 
groups, the object being to allow the water plane to recover its normal 
level at the idle groups, the pumps actually operating thus having less 
lift for a limited time. These experiments are reported as prom- 
ising better results than has been possible when all the pumps are 
working together. It is not believed, however, that the present 
plant when operated either on this plan or operated continuously can 
deliver sufficient water for the irrigation of the 10,656 acres in the 
project. 

10. Lands. — There are in the project 10,656.41 acres of irrigable 
land, all of which is in private ownership. Only 9,625 acres of this 
area is covered by the contract with the water users' association for 
the return to the reclamation fund of the cost of the project. The 
project was opened by public notice of March 6, 1908, the construc- 
tion charge being announced at $35 per acre and the operation and 
maintenance charge at $2.75 per acre per year. On November 30, 
1908, another public notice was issued, which raised the construction 
charge to $37.50 per acre for land which had not made application 
for water and for such lands which, having made application under 
the first notice, desired to come under the second notice in considera- 
tion of a delay of one year in the collection of the first installments. 
It has not been ascertained what proportion of the area is subject to 
the $37.50 charge and what to the $35 charge. The total number of 
acres covered by water right applications is 6,976, divided into 75 
holdings. 

11. The average elevation of the irrigable area is about 2,900 feet 
above sea level. The range of temperature is from —20° to 105° F. 
The average annual rainfall on the irrigable area is 20 inches, and 
in normal years it is sufficient to permit farming without irrigation. 
The irrigations ordinarily obtainable during the summer reenforce 
the rainfall, and it is only in the occasional very dry years that fail 
crops can not be obtained without the aid of pumped water. Under 
average conditions, however, additional water is necessary for a full 
irrigation, and a full irrigation means larger yields from the land. 
The pumped water therefore serves in ordinary years to increase the 
yield per acre and in dry years is an insurance against failure of 
crops. The rainfall during the season of 1910 has been above the 
normal, and while no pumped water was supplied to the lands in the 
project good crops were produced. The character of the soil in 
the project is fertile, black, sandy loam. The principal products are 
alfalfa, sugar beets, melons, sweet potatoes, small fruits, and grains. 
Alfalfa can be depended on for from two to four cuttings per year 
and sells at from $6 to $10 per ton in the stack. Sugar beets average 
about 9 tons to the acre, and can be sold to the Garden City Sugar 
Beet Factory at $5 per ton. 



60 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LAXDS. 

12. Present conditions. — After the end of the irrigation season of 
1909 only one irrigator paid the assessment for operation and main- 
tenance, and therefore his lands were the only ones entitled to receive 
water during the season of 1910. In January, 1910, a conference was 
held between officials of the Reclamation Service and the directors 
of the water users' association, following which the directors stated 
in writing to the supervising engineer that — 

it would be unwise for them to recommend any action without a further 
consultation with the stockholders of the association ; that they are not war- 
ranted, from the opinions expressed by the farmers, under the project in 
recommending any further expenditure for the purpose of experimenting with 
a view of increasing the water supply ; and that in their opinion it is utterly 
impossible for the farmers to pay the running expenses of the pumping plant 
during the coming year for the amount of water which could probably be 
furnished. 

As the association failed to provide for operating the plant or 
to agree to its operation on a rental basis, the plant was prepared for 
nonuse and — 

its operation discontinued until such time as the landowners made applica- 
tion for its operation and were willing to pay for the construction and operation 
of same and made some arrangement for the proper distribution of water. 

13. There is now pending in Congress a bill which, if passed, will 
permit a readjustment of the terms of the contract with the -water 
users' association. It is desired by the Reclamation Service that 
such agreement shall provide for sufficient Government supervision 
over the farmers' distribution system to insure less wasteful and 
unequal distribution of pumped water, and for the continuous oper- 
ation of the plant throughout the irrigation season, with the require- 
ment that the farmers shall " take the water in steady volume, day in 
and day out, whether it rains or not, and whether the river is in flood 
or not." Concessions by the Government would doubtless include 
the operation of the plant for several years, with assessments on the 
lands only for operation and maintenance and with no payments on 
the construction charges until the plant had passed the experimental 
stage and the irrigation system was being successfully operated. 
Whether or not the water users would accept the terms of a new 
contract on that basis is uncertain. At the meeting which the board 
held with the directors of the water users' association there was sub- 
mitted a copy of a resolution unanimously adopted by the stock- 
holders at their annual meeting on October 5, 1910. The substance 
of this resolution is that the " Government be asked to abandon the 
said project so far as this association is concerned, and we ask that 
all contract liens so far as the Government is concerned be released." 
Complaint was made to the board that the project has cost much more 
for construction and for operation and maintenance than had been 
promised; that the annual charges were more than the lands could 
pay ; and that the capacity of the pumping plant was wholly inade- 
quate; but no desire was expressed for any other form of settlement 
than the release of the lands from the liens and the abandonment 
of the project. They stated that they did not believe it would be just 
for the Government to make them pay for an experiment in pumping 
which had failed so far as their lands were concerned, but which was 
more or less useful as an experiment in the installation of pumping 
plants elsewhere. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 61 

14. Alternatives to the starting np again of this pumping plant 
are its sale by auction as it stands or the dismantling of the plant 
and the transfer of the machinery to other reclamation projects. 
Either of these steps would make necessary the cancellation of the 
contract with the water users' association and would result in a large 
loss to the reclamation fund. The board, therefore, considers that it 
is advisable to allow matters to remain as they are now until definite 
action has been taken by Congress on the bill referred to; and in the 
event of its becoming a law that an agreement be reached, if prac- 
ticable, with the association which would permit the resumption of 
the operation of the plant, even though it be necessary in the agree- 
ment to provide for a considerable extension of the period in which 
building costs must be returned. 

15. Costs. — The total of allotments on this project to December 31, 
1910, is $419,000, of which there was on June 30, 1910, a small bal- 
ance ; but this balance will be exhausted during the lay-up of the plant 
by the salary of the caretaker and small incidental expenditures. Of 
the total expended, $21,817.07, or 5.6 per cent, was for field engineer- 
ing and superintendence; $19,262.38, or 5.2 per cent, for clerical 
services on the project; $856.38 for the supervising engineer's office; 
and $11,990.58 for the Washington and Chicago offices, expert en- 
gineering, etc. Since only $142.50 has been collected to date for 
installments on building charge, and $104.50 for operation and main- 
tenance, the total of the allotments, $419,000, approximately repre- 
sents the investment of the United States. If the lien on the lands is 
regarded as of value equal to the charges against the lands, then 
the following table represents in an approximate measure the finan- 
cial standing of this project: 

Investment of the United States $419, 000 

Building charges : 

4,885 acres (estimated), at $35.00 $170,975 

4,740 acres (estimated), at $37.50 177,750 

Charges against lands for operation and maintenance 18, 466 

367,191 

Loss to fund 51, S09 

16. If the entire 9,625 acres of land under agreement are bound by 
the charge named in the second public notice, $37.50, the loss to the 
fund will be about $40,000. Thus, there will be a loss to the reclama- 
tion fund even though the lien on the land has a real value equal to 
the charge against the land. 

17. Summary. — (1) This project lies entirely within the State of 
Kansas. 

(2) The entire irrigable area of 10,656 acres is in private owner- 
ship. 

(3) The power house and power installations, the pumping sta- 
tions and the concrete canal appear to be well built and in good 
condition. 

(4) The capacity of the pumping plant under continuous operation 
would be sufficient to supply the full amount of water needed for 
irrigation, provided the flow of water to the wells was sufficient 
to supply the pumps, but under the conditions actually existing the 
pumping plant can not supply sufficient water to irrigate more than 
a small part of the contemplated area. It can, however, be used to 
supplement the flood irrigations from the Arkansas River. 



62 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(5) The plant having been prepared for nonuse and its operation 
having been discontinued, the board believes that it should be kept 
in this condition until definite action is had by Congress on a bill 
now pending which will permit readjustment of the terms of the 
agreement with the water users' association, and that if this bill be- 
comes a law, a new agreement should, if practicable, be reached with 
the association, which will provide for the resumption of operation of 
the plant, with suitable government supervision of the distribution 
of water, and for a delay in the collection of past assessments of 
building charges until the system is in successful operation. 

(6) There will be a loss to the reclamation fund even though the 
lands repay all the charges assessed against them. 



Section X. 

HUNTLEY PROJECT, MONTANA. 

1. The board visited this project on August 13, 1910, inspecting 
the engineering structures, the distribution system, and the irrigable 
lands. A public hearing was held at Huntley on the same day. 

2. Location. — This project is located on the south bank of the 
Yellowstone River in Yellowstone County, Mont. Good transporta- 
tion facilities are furnished by the Northern Pacific and the Burling- 
ton Railroads, both of which traverse the project. 

3. Description. — The water for this system is taken into the main 
canal from the Yellowstone through concrete headworks, located 
about 2 miles above Huntley, no diversion dam being required to 
direct the necessary flow into the canal. The main canal has an 
initial capacity of 400 second-feet, is about 23 miles long, and sup- 
plies water for the laterals of the distribution system as well as for 
the high-line canal, which heads at the pumping station 1 mile east 
of Ballantine. Between the headworks and the town of Huntley 
the main canal passes through three concrete-lined tunnels, having 
an aggregate length of 2,654 feet. At the pumping station, located at 
a 34-foot drop in the main canal, there is installed an automatic 
pumping unit, consisting of a turbine wheel and a centrifugal pump 
mounted on the same vertical shaft. The pumping unit lifts 56 
second-feet to a height of 45 feet, the pumped water being discharged 
into the high-line canal. This canal is 6 miles long and through 
its laterals supplies the bench lands between Ballantine and Fly 
Creek. The aggregate length of laterals in the system is 240 miles. 
Other important engineering structures are the wasteway at tunnel 
No. 3, the culvert carrying the main lateral under the new channel 
of Pryor Creek, the Fly Creek Syphon, and the channel for Pryor 
Creek. All of these works, as well as the headworks, the pumping 
station, and the drops and turnouts on the main canals, are built of 
concrete. The minor structures, on the laterals, are generally built 
of wood. All of the engineering structures, as well as the distribu- 
tion system, were found to be well designed and well constructed. 
No evidence of leakage was observed in the main canals, and no 
extensive leakage in the laterals. Such leakage as was observed will, 



FUND FOE KECLAMATION OF AKID LANDS. 63 

doubtless, practically disappear as the ditches become seasoned. The 
project is stated to be 96 per cent completed. 

4. Water supply. — The Government filing is for 750 cubic feet per 
second, which is more than sufficient for all irrigable lands which can 
be reached by the present system and its extensions, and the minimum 
discharge of the river at this point during the irrigation season is 
sufficient to render this filing secure. 

5. Lands. — There is included in this project an irrigable area of 
28,809 acres, all of which is public land subject to the reclamation act 
except about 3,190 acres. The project was opened by public notice 
dated May 31, 1907, the building charge being fixed at $30 per acre 
and the charge for operation and maintenance at $0.60 per acre per 
year. Approximately 6,000 acres of the public land is still open to 
entry. All of the land under this project was formerly within the 
ceded strip of the Crow Indian Reservation, and the public lands in 
this area must pay, in addition to the building charge, $4 per acre to 
the Crow Indians. One dollar of this is to be paid when the land is 
entered and the remaining $3 in four equal annual installments. The 
private land includes Indian allotments and lands purchased from 
the Indians. The farm unit for the public land is 40 irrigable acres 
and for the private land 160 irrigable acres. Water-right applica- 
tions now cover 17,396 acres, but only 12,000 were actually cultivated 
during the season of 1910. 

6. The average elevation of the irrigable area is 3,000 feet above 
sea level, and the range in temperature is from —35° to 100° F. The 
average annual rainfall is 12 inches, which is so distributed during the 
year as to permit dry farming, but only with very limited success. 
The lands are easy to put into cultivation and to prepare for irriga- 
tion. The ground water level is rising and drainage ditches will be 
required for part of the land. 

7. The soil is of good quality and varies from sandy loam to clay. 
The principal crops are grain, potatoes, alfalfa, and sugar beets, the 
latter being one of the best paying crops and easily disposed of 
near by at the Billings (Mont.) sugar factory. Land not in reach of 
water is valued at about $4 per acre, while sales of land included in 
the project have recently been made at $50 per acre, with construction 
charges still to be paid. The land values and crop returns indicate 
that the land will readily bear the announced construction charge, 
plus the $4 to be paid to the Crow Indians, and that the public land 
would have been entered under the land laws even had the building 
charge been as high as $35 per acre. 

8. The size of the farm unit appears generally to be satisfactory 
and to be regarded as sufficient for supporting a family, although 
several statements were made that 40 acres was insufficient for that 
purpose and that for the least desirable lands in this project the farm 
unit should be increased to 80 acres. 

9. Operation and maintenance. — Due to the fact that new canals 
are usually more or less pervious, several years of operation are re- 
quired before the canals are well seasoned, and therefore the annual 
cost of repairs is higher at first. The first few years of operation 
also develop, as a rule, the necessity for certain betterments — for 
example, the necessity for the extension of concrete linings at drops, 
for additional check weirs, for additional control gates, etc. This, so 
far, has been the condition of the Huntley project, and in conse- 



64 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

quence the annual cost of operation and maintenance on the project 
has considerably exceeded the collections therefor. Another reason 
for this annual deficit is that only a portion of the irrigable area is 
taken up and is assessed for operation and maintenance, while the 
actual cost of operating and maintaining the system is practically 
the same whether or not all the lands are being irrigated. For 1909 
the excess of cost over collections for operation and maintenance was 
about $36,000, and for 1910 it is estimated at about $14,000 to $15,000. 
^N T ow that the ditches are fairly well seasoned and a large part of the 
necessary betterments have been made, the total annual cost of oper- 
ation and maintenance should hereafter be less, while the number of 
acres contributing will increase from year to year. Since the project 
has been opened, 60 cents per acre has boen charged each year for 
operation and maintenance. The Eeclamation Service states that in 
a few years the actual cost per acre per year will not be more than 
50 cents, and if the 60-cent rate is continued the difference can be 
applied toward reduction of the deficit for operation and maintenance. 

10. Costs. — The following table shows the probable deficit on this 
project at the end of the present calendar year : 

Debits : 

Building costs to June 30, 1910 $842, 887. 10 

Operation and maintenance costs to June 30, 1910 , 89,497.86 

Deficit for 1910 for operation and maintenance (estimated) 15, 000. 00 

916, 644. 23 
Credits : 

Building charges returnable, 28,809 acres, at $30_ $864,270.00 

Sale of town sites 12,657.25 

Collected or accrued for operation and mainte- 
nance to June 30, 1910 15, 795. 15 

892, 722. 40 

Difference 53, 921. 83 

This probable deficit may be reduced by additional sales of town 
sites. On the other hand, it will probably be increased somewhat 
■during the next year or two by excess of expenditures over collections 
for operation and maintenance. 

11. Extensions. — It is proposed to extend both the high line and 
the main canal to cover additional irrigable lands. The total area 
to be added by the proposed extensions is 4,035 acres, of which all is 
public land except about 900 acres of private land or Indian allot- 
ments. Since the intake, the main canals, and other works have 
sufficient capacity for this increased acreage, the proposed extension 
of the distribution system should be regarded rather as the comple- 
tion of the project than as an extension. It is estimated by the Rec- 
lamation Service that the proposed work will cost approximately 
$110,000. It is believed by the board that the irrigable lands within 
the proposed extensions will bear a construction charge of $35 per 
acre, or possibly more, plus the payment of $4 per acre to the Crow 
Indians. If this area is opened at $35 per acre, the probable deficit 
on this project will be considerably reduced. This extension is re- 
garded by the board as feasible from both an engineering and an 
•economic standpoint, but it is not considered advisable that the work 
be undertaken until the larger part of the remaining public lands are 
taken up. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 65 

12. Summary. — (1) This project is entirely within the State of 
Montana. 

(2) Of the 28,809 acres of irrigable land in the project about 89 
per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(3) Of the 4,035 acres of irrigable land in the proposed extension 
about 78 per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) All of the engineering structures, as well as the distribution 
system, are well designed and well constructed. 

( 5 ) The Government filing for water is more than sufficient for all 
irrigable land in the project and its proposed extension, and the mini- 
mum discharge of the river at this point is sufficient to render this 
filing secure. 

(6) The lands within the project will readily bear the announced 
building charge of $30 per acre, and those in the proposed extension 
will bear a charge of $35 per acre, or possibly more, plus the $4 per 
acre required to be paid to the Crow Indians. 

(7) The proposed extension is regarded by the board as feasible 
from both an engineering and an economic standpoint, but it is not 
considered advisable that the work be undertaken until the larger 
part of the remaining public irrigable lands are taken up. 

(8) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $110, 000 



Section XI. 

MILK RIVER PROJECT, MONTANA. 

1. The board visited the lower part of this project on August 18 
and 19, 1910, inspecting the Nelson Reservoir site, the Dodson Dam, 
the Dodson South Canal, and the irrigable lands; and on August 24, 
25, and 26 inspected the sites for the St. Mary Lakes Storage Dams, 
that of the St. Mary River Diversion Dam, that of the Swift Current 
Diversion Canal, and the line of the St. Mary Diversion Canal. Pub- 
lic hearings were held at Hinsdale, Saco, and Malta on August 18, and 
at Harlem, Chinook, and Havre on August 19. 

2. Location. — The irrigable area of this project lies in a narrow 
strip on both sides of the lower Milk River, in the counties of Valley 
and Chouteau, Mont. The storage and diversion works for the water 
supply from St. Mary Lakes are in the Blackf eet Indian Reservation, 
in western Montana. The Great Northern Railway traverses the 
entire irrigable area, and with its numerous stations gives short 
wagon hauls for the farm products. 

3. Description. — The approved plans for the development of this 
system provide for the diversion of a part of the flow of the St. Mary 
into the headwaters of the Milk River. This diverted water is to 
supplement the water in the Milk River in the irrigation of lands in 
the lower valley of the latter stream. 

4. River systems. — St. Mary River has its source in the two large 
lakes of the same name, whence it flows north through Canada into 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 5 



66 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Hudson Bay. Milk River has its sources near the St. Mary Basin, but 
is separated therefrom by a glacial ridge. Milk River flows north 
into Canada, thence east for about 200 miles, finally turning south 
and reentering the United States. A treaty was signed in 1909 be- 
tween the United States and Great Britain which provides for the 
division of the waters of the two river systems on the following 
basis : These streams are to be treated as one stream for the purposes 
of power and irrigation; the waters thereof are to be apportioned 
equally to the two countries, but in order to afford a more beneficial 
use to each country, more than half may be taken from one stream 
and less than half from the other by either country ; the prior right 
is recognized of the United States to 500 second-feet of the flow of 
the Milk River from April 1 to October 31 each year, or so much of 
such amount as constitutes three-fourths of the natural flow, and a 
similar prior right of Canada is recognized to the St. Mary flow ; and, 
further, the United States may use the channel of Milk River lying 
in Canada for passing through Canadian territory the water diverted 
from the St. Mary. 

5. Diversion canal. — Water is to be diverted from the St. Mary 
River to the North Fork of the Milk River, through the proposed St. 
Mary Canal, which will be entirely within the United States. The 
canal is to have a capacity of 850 second-feet, and will be 26 miles 
long. The principal structures will be the headworks tunnel and 
controlling works; Duck Creek crossing, Terror Creek siphon, and 
sluiceway; Hall Coulee siphon, and the drop into the North Fork. 
The formation through which the canal will be constructed shows 
evidence of having slipped, and considerable difficulty may be antici- 
pated from slides. About 3 miles of the canal near its upper end 
may have to be lined with concrete. Some work has been done on 
this canal near the head and on another section a few miles from the 
lower end. 

6. Storage. — The natural flow of the St. Mary is not sufficient to 
supply the prior rights of Canada and at the same time to permit the 
diversion to the Milk River of the additional amount of water re- 
quired in that stream for the irrigation of the contemplated acreage. 
The approved plans, therefore, contemplate storage in the St. Mary 
Lakes. These two lakes are about 1£ miles apart, and are connected 
by a small stream, the difference in the elevation of the two lakes 
being 12 feet. It is proposed to provide storage in the two lakes for 
about 218,000 acre-feet. Several plans for such storage were pro- 
posed, but the one now regarded by the Reclamation Service as the 
most desirable is the construction of a dam at the outlet of each lake, 
and of a canal connecting the lakes sufficiently low in elevation to 
permit the drawing down of the upper lake to a lower level than is 
now possible. The proposed storage dams are to be of the earth-fill 
type, with surfaces covered with riprap. A spillway is to be pro- 
vided for each dam. It is the expectation that the construction of the 
dams will be postponed until storage becomes necessary. 

7. To increase the available water, it is proposed to divert Swift 
Current Creek into St. Mary Lake above the storage dam by means of 
a canal and a diversion dam in the Swift Current. 

8. Milk River. — This division of the project includes all works for 
the utilization of the water for irrigation in the lower Milk River 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 67 

Valley. The works which have been under consideration for this 
division of the project are: 

(1) Chain Lakes Reservoir. — The site for this reservoir is at the 
Chain Lakes on the Milk River. The earlier plans contemplated a 
high dam, forming a reservoir with about 750,000 acre-feet capacity, 
but examination indicated that the foundations are not suitable for 
a high dam. It may, however, be safe and practicable to construct 
a low dam at the foot of these lakes, if additional storage on Milk 
River becomes necessary. 

(2) Nelson Reservoir. — This reservoir is to be formed by an earth 
embankment across the outlet of a natural depression south of the 
Milk River. The reservoir thus proposed will have an effective 
storage capacity of 142,000 acre-feet, and will be filled by water di- 
verted from the Milk River through a feeder canal. The embank- 
ment will have a length of about 15,000 feet and a maximum height 
of 33 feet. The side slopes proposed are 3 to 1 upstream and 2 to 1 
downstream; top width, 16 feet. 

(3) Chinook Diversion Dam. — The proposed location of this dam 
is in the Milk River, about 3 miles below Chinook. The dam has 
not been designed, but is to be of the same type as the Dodson Dam. 

(4) Chinook North and South Canals. — These canals are to head 
at the Chinook Dam, and are to supply water for the Chinook divi- 
sion, which lies on both sides of the river. The north canal is to be 
38 miles, and the south canal 24 miles long. 

(5) Dodson Diversion Dam and Headworks. — The Dodson Dam is 
located in the Milk River, about 3 miles above Dodson, and is com- 
pleted except for the proposed automatic crest. The concrete head- 
works on the south bank have been completed, but no work has so far 
been done on the headworks for the north bank. This dam is a rock- 
filled, timber-crib structure. 

(6) Dodson North and South Canals. — These canals are to head 
at the Dodson Dam, and are to supply water for the Dodson division. 
The north canal is to be about 28 miles long and have an initial ca- 
pacity of 200 second-feet, supplying water for the Dodson north unit. 
The south canal has been completed for 9-J miles, and partially com- 
pleted for an additional length of 8 miles. It is to have a total 
length of 42 miles, an initial capacity of 900 second-feet, and will 
supply water for the Dodson south unit, for the Bowdoin Canal, 
the Ashfield Canal, and Nelson Reservoir. The Bowdoin and Ash- 
field Canals are to carry water for their respective units. In the 
Dodson south unit the system of laterals has been constructed for 
about one-half the unit. 

(7) Nelson Reservoir South and North Canals. — Both of these 
canals will head in Nelson Reservoir. The south canal is to be about 
22 miles long and have an initial capacity of 250 second-feet. It 
will supply water to the Nelson Reservoir south unit, and, when 
necessary, to the Milk River for use in the Yandalia unit. The north 
canal will have a length of 47 miles, and an initial capacity of 250 
second-feet, and will supply the Nelson Reservoir north unit, which 
lies on the north side of the Milk River. The canal will cross the 
river in a reinforced concrete siphon. 

(8) Yandalia Dam. — The site for the proposed dam is in the Milk 
River, about 4 miles west of Vandalia. The dam has not been de- 
signed, but will be of similar type to the Dodson Dam. 



68 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(9) Vanddlia Canal. — This canal will head at the Vandalia Dam, 
and will supply water to the Vandalia-Glasgow unit. The canal will 
be about 38 miles long, and will have a capacity depending on the 
acreage of the unit, which has not yet been determined. 

9. Comments on engineering structures. — The completed structures 
in the Dodson division were found by the board to be well con- 
structed. Most of the structures proposed for the complete system 
are only tentatively designed at present, but no engineering works of 
special difficulty are contemplated. The St. Mary Diversion Canal 
will probably be difficult to maintain on account of the expected 
movement in the material in which the canal is to be cut. This re- 
mark applies especially to the second 3 miles from the head, where 
considerable sliding has already taken place. It is proposed to pro- 
vide good open drainage to prevent saturation of the slopes above the 
canal and thereby reduce the tendency to slide. 

10. Water supply. — The Reclamation Service has made a compre- 
hensive study of the water supply of the project, and a summary of 
that study with comments thereon is appended to this report. It is 
found that after satisfying Canada's prior right 850 second-feet can 
be diverted from St. Mary River for a period of seven months each 
year if suitable storage is provided in St. Mary Lakes. The amount 
of storage that would have been required to maintain this flow during 
the period 1903-1909 varied from 75,000 acre-feet to 175,000 acre-feet. 
The plans contemplate 218,000 acre-feet of storage in these lakes, 
thus providing for even a lower flow in St. Mary River than has 
occurred since 1903. 

11. The study also shows that during the same period the part 
of the natural flow of Milk River to which the United States is 
entitled by treaty, augmented by the 850 second-feet from St. Mary 
River, would have been sufficient to provide water for 215,000 acres 
at the assumed duty of 1J acre-feet per acre measured at the farm, 
and that this amount of water could have been delivered to the land 
through the canal and reservoir system as planned. 

12. In this study a uniform rate of delivery of water to the lands 
during a period of seven months is assumed. As the growing season 
is only about five months it is questionable whether such deliveries 
would meet irrigation requirements. The storage provided in Nelson 
Reservoir would serve to regulate deliveries in accordance with the 
demand so far as the lands below it are concerned, but this storage 
must also serve to equalize the variable run-off of different years. 

13. While the amount of water available is sufficient for the needs 
of the project, it seems probable that additional storage on Milk 
River will be necessary if the delivery of water is to be limited to the 
growing season. It further appears that the terms of the treaty will 
be complied with, as the quantities of the combined flow of St. Mary 
and Milk Rivers proposed to be used in the United States both for 
this project and to satisfy prior rights will not exceed one-half of 
the combined flow of these streams as measured at the international 
boundary. 

14. The supervising engineer stated, "Before the United States 
can safely undertake the construction of any extensive irrigation 
works, it will be necessary that the rights of the various appropria- 
tors of water from Milk River and its tributaries be definitely fixed 
and made a matter of court record." The board believes that neces- 
sary steps to obtain such adjudication should be taken at once. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 69 

15. Lands. — The irrigable lands of the project logically fall into 
three principal divisions and one smaller division. In the table below 
are given these divisions with their natural subdivisions, which, for 
convenience, are designated as units. The acreage of irrigable lands 
has been variously stated, but the figures given are those on which the 
construction estimate is based. In the table is shown also the acreage 
of lands now included in private and Indian irrigation systems, but 
which, it is expected, will come into the Government project: 

Chinook division : 

(1) Chinook north unit — 

Under private canals 16, 000 

Not under private canals 22, 000 

38,000 

(2) Chinook south unit — 

Not within Indian reservation — 

Under private canal 9, 000 

Not under private canal 4, 000 

Within Indian reservation — 

Under Indian canal 10,000 

Not under Indian canal 20, 000 

43,000 

81,000 

Dodson division : 

(3) Dodson north unit — 

First half unit 6, 000 

Second half unit 8, 000 

14,000 

(4) Dodson south unit — 

Head to Malta divide 15, 000 

Malta Divide to Ashfield Canal 5,000 

20, 000 

(5) Bowdoin unit 17,000 

(6) Ashfield unit . 10,000 

61,000 

Nelson Reservoir division : 

(7) Nelson Reservoir south unit 20,000 

(8) Nelson Reservoir north unit 20,000 

40,000 

Vandalia Canal division : 

(9) Vandalia-Glasgow unit 14,000 

Total 196, 000 

16. In the Dodson south unit about 8,000 acres are now in reach of 
flood wnter, supplied through the Dodson South Canal, but no land 
has been officially declared open for irrigation. 

IT. The status of the lands as to ownership was furnished to the 
board only for an assumed acreage of 248,000 acres. Assuming that' 
the relative proportions of the different classes of land is approxi- 
mately the same for the reduced as for the larger acreage, the follow- 
ing represents the approximate classification of the lands: Public 
lands entered, subject to the reclamation act, 64,000 acres ; public land 
unentered, 12,000; State land, 10,000 acres; private land and Indian 
land, 110,000 acres. In addition to this area of 196,000 acres, there 
are other areas within the boundaries of the project now under pri- 
vate ditches taking water from Milk River or from Willow and Rock 
Creeks, but these can not be irrigated from the proposed Government 
canals. 

18. The average elevation of the irrigable area is about 2,200 feet 
above sea level and the range of temperature is from —45° to 100° F. 



70 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

The average rainfall on the irrigable area is about 13 inches. Al- 
though dry farming is possible, it is not usually successful. A single 
flood irrigation sometimes is sufficient to insure a good crop. The 
soil is a fertile sandy loam, well adapted to raising hay, grain, al- 
falfa, and vegetables. Some alkali is present in places, and drainage 
ditches will be required for part of the area in order to prevent 
swamping. Statements from local sources indicate a valuation of 
land without water of about $20 per acre and of land under irriga- 
tion of $75 to $100 per acre. None of the area has yet been opened 
and no construction charge has been fixed. The water users' associa- 
tion, which covers the lands below the Dodson Dam, has petitioned 
for water at whatever the necessary cost may be. It is believed by 
the board that in view, of the probable returns from the lands when 
under full irrigation the land will readily bear any reasonable build- 
ing charge. 

19. Costs. — To June 30, 1910, there has been expended on the St. 
Mary storage and diversion $265,842.95, and on the Milk River irri- 
gation system $538,396.74. The estimates for completion of this 
project, as prepared for the board, are as follows : 

(a) St. Mary storage and diversion : 

Swift Current diversion $30, 000 

Temporary St. Mary Diversion Dam 10, 000 

Out-take tunnel 59, 123 

Regulating works 10, 810 

Duck Creek controlling works 9, 011 

Division 1 of canal 613, 700 

Division 2 of canal 107,700 

Division 3 of canal 126, 500 

Division 4 of canal 158, 200 

Halle Coulee siphon 55, 160 

Bridges, spillways, drops, etc 59, 500 

Storage dam, Lower St. Mary Lake 238, 620 

Department expense, engineering, and contingencies, 20 per 

cent 295, 665 

Total 1, 773, 989 

Deductions : 

Work done on canal $150,000 

Equipment on hand 15, 000 

165, 000 

Additional expenditures required 1, 608, 989 

(h) Milk River irrigation system: 

Automatic crest Dodson Dam 10, 000 

Dodson North Canal, laterals, etc 104, 000 

Dodson South Canal, laterals, etc 344, 000 

Bowdoin Canal, laterals, etc 267,000 

Vandalia Dam, canal, laterals, etc 475,000 

Dodson South Canal extension, laterals, etc 363,000 

Nelson Reservoir 380, 000 

Nelson Reservoir, south canal, laterals, etc 330, 000 

Ashfield Canal, laterals, etc 155,000 

Dodson North Canal extensions, laterals, etc 160, 000 

Nelson Reservoir, north canal, laterals, etc 435, 000 

Chinook Dam — 75, 000 

Chinook North Canal, laterals, etc 470, 000 

Chinook South Canal, laterals, etc 556, 000 

Total estimated future expenditures 4, 124, 000 

Allotments to June 30, 1910 593, 000 

Total estimated cost to complete 4,717,000 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 71 

20. In the above estimate the proposed storage dam for the upper 
St. Mary Lake is not included nor the amount already expended for 
surveys, etc., in connection with the St. Mary storage and diversion. 
For these items approximately $400,000 should be added, making 
the total estimated cost of the St. Mary storage and diversion about 
$2 174,000 and the total estimated cost of the whole project about 
$6,891,000. The total of allotments to December 30, 1910, on the 
project is $941,000, and therefore additional allotments to the amount 
of about $5,950,000 are required for the completion of the project. 

21. Since the above estimates are more or less approximate, and 
since the irrigable acreage to be included in the project is more or 
less uncertain, only a rough approximation can be made as to the 
probable building charge per acre. Based on the above estimates 
and on an acreage of 196,000, and assuming that the lands of the 
present private irrigation system will come into the Government 
project at one-half the acre building charge, then the probable build- 
ing charge will be $38 to $39 per acre. 

22. Comments. — Owing to the international features of this project 
it has just claim for national assistance. The large amount of money 
already expended, which would be lost if the project were not com- 
pleted, the relatively large amount of public land, the productive- 
ness of the land and its ability to pay the probable building cost, all 
make it desirable to continue work on the project until completion. 
Attention is invited to the fact that the par value of the stock of 
the water users' association is only $25 per share. As this amount 
is said to be the limit of the recorded lien against the land, it would 
render the security for the cost of the project more certain if the par 
value of the stock is raised to a figure which will cover the probable 
building charge. 

23. Summary. — (1) The irrigable land of this project lies entirely 
within the State of Montana, but the project is international in char- 
acter because of the division of the flow of St. Mary and Milk Rivers 
between Canada and the United States and the conveyance of the 
water belonging to the United States through Canadian territory. 

(2) Of the total area of 196,000 acres which it is proposed to in- 
clude in the project, about 39 per cent is public land subject to the 
reclamation act. 

(3) The project is feasible, both from an engineering and an eco- 
nomic standpoint. 

(4) The amount of water available, with the storage proposed, is 
sufficient for the needs of the proposed project, but additional storage 
may be needed on Milk River if the delivery of water is limited to the 
growing season. The proposed use in the United States of the com- 
bined flow of St. Mary and Milk Rivers, both for this project andvfor 
satisfying prior rights, will not exceed one-half of the combined flow 
of these streams, as measured at the international boundary. 

(5) The total estimated cost of this project is about $6,891,000, of 
which $941,000 has already been allotted. 

(6) The land will bear the construction charge, which is estimated 
to be about $38 to $39 per acre. 

(7) In view of the international features of this project, the large 
amount of money already expended, the large amount of public land 
included, and the value of the land and its ability to bear the prob- 



72 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

able building charge, the project is a worthy one and work should be 
continued at an economical rate until completion. 

(8) The following allotments are recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive : 

From the fund $2, 950, 000 

From the loan 1, 000, 000 

Total 3, 950, 000 



Section XII. 

SUN RIVER PROJECT, MONTANA. 

1. The board, on August 21, visited the Fort Shaw unit, Willow 
Creek Reservoir, the lands on the Greenfield Bench, the line of the 
High Line Canal and other proposed canals in that vicinity; on 
August 22, the sites of the diversion dam at Sun River Canyon and 
of the Warm Springs Dam; on August 23, the line of the proposed 
North Supply and Teton Slope Canals, the site of the Pishkun Reser- 
voir and the lands adjacent. Hearings were held at Fairfield on 
August 21, and Chouteau on August 23. 

2. Location. — The Sun River project is designed to irrigate lands 
lying in the valleys of the Sun River and the Teton River in western 
Montana just east of the Rocky Mountain divide. The lands and the 
water supply are entirely within the State of Montana. 

3. A branch of the Great Northern Railway passes north and south 
through the eastern part of the project. The nearest station to the 
Fort Shaw unit is Vaughn, distant 6 miles. It is expected that a 
branch will be constructed up the Sun River Valley and that prob- 
ably a transcontinental road will within a few years cross the divide 
by way of the valley of the South Fork of the North Fork. 

4. Description. — Water for this project will be taken mainly from 
the North Fork of the Sun River. A storage reservoir will be con- 
structed near Warm Springs on the North Fork of the North Fork. 
The supply in this reservoir will be increased by water brought by 
canal from the South Fork of the North Fork and by tunnel and 
canal from Bowl Creek on the west of the Continental Divide. After 
leaving the reservoir the water will flow about 12 miles in the chan- 
nel of the North Fork until it reaches the North Fork Canyon, where 
it will be diverted by a concrete dam built in the canyon. From this 
point it will be carried in two canals, one on each side of the river, 
called the North Supply and the South Supply Canals. Additional 
storage capacity will be provided by two reservoirs, the Pishkun 
Reservoir at the end of the North Supply Canal, and the Willow 
Creek Reservoir, supplied by the South Supply Canal. The water 
supply is to be augmented by various secondary streams, such as the 
South Fork of the Sun River, Willow Creek, and Deep Creek. The 
Pishkun Reservoir will discharge — first, into the High Line-Green- 
fields Canal ; and, second, by a different opening and at a lower level, 
through Deep Creek into the Teton Slope Canal. Willow Creek 
Reservoir discharges into the Sun River, and the water is thence 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 73 

diverted into the Fort Shaw Canal. The water stored in the Willow 
Creek Eeservoir is to be used for the Fort Shaw unit and also for 
the private irrigation lands on the Lower Sun River, thus permitting 
all of the North Fork water to be taken into the Government system 
instead of allowing a portion of it to pass down the river to satisfy 
these prior rights. A possible extension of the project is the use of 
Lake Benton as a reservoir supplied from the Teton Slope Canal to 
irrigate lands in the vicinity of Great Falls. It would use surplus 
flood water when available. Willow Creek Reservoir is now under 
construction, with a temporary height of dam of 70 feet, to store the 
waters of Willow Creek and tributaries. The dam will later be in- 
creased in height to provide for additional storage for the surplus 
waters of the North Fork. The canal and lateral system of the Fort 
Shaw unit is practically complete. No work has been done on the 
other parts of the project, except the necessary surveys. 

5. Water supply. — The annual run-off of Sun River ranges from 
500,000 acre-feet to 1,000,000 acre-feet. To provide for years of low 
water, it is proposed to increase the supply of water by diversion 
from Bowl Creek, on the west side of the divide, which has an esti- 
mated run-off of 8,000 to 9,000 acre-feet. Stream gaugings at a num- 
ber of points have been made since 1905, but the data even for this 
period are not sufficiently complete to warrant any definite conclu- 
sions as to the supply that can be made available for this project 
through the reservoir and canal system as planned. 

6. In an analysis, prepared by the supervising engineer, which is 
appended, the run-off of certain parts of the watershed has been as- 
sumed, the assumptions being based on the size of drainage area and 
the character of the topography as compared with the known run-off 
of certain other areas. It has also been assumed that the winter flow 
of the South Fork of the North Fork can be diverted into the Warm 
Springs Reservoir during 10 months each year, and that that of the 
North Fork below the Warm Springs Reservoir can be diverted into 
the north and south supply canals during the same period. It is 
believed, however, that eight months' use of these canals is all that 
can be counted upon in this climate. Based on these assumptions, it 
was found that, after satisfying prior rights and providing for the 
Fort Shaw unit, there would have been available for north side lands 
the following quantities of water : 

Total available supply for north side lands. 

1905 322, 700 

1906 305, 500 

1907 740, 000 

1908 757, 000 

1909 784, 000 

1910 540, 000 

7. The duty of water is assumed to be 1-J acre-feet per acre meas- 
ured at the farm corresponding to a diversion duty of 2 acre-feet per 
acre. On this basis there would have been a sufficient supply in 1906 
for 152,000 acres, while during 1907, 1908, and 1909 there would have 
been sufficient for 350,000 acres. 

8. The proposed reservoirs will permit a certain amount of water 
to be carried over from years of high run-off to years of low run-off, 
but these reservoirs must also act as equalizers of the annual flow. 



74 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Further information as to the distribution of the run-off throughout 
the year at different points of the system is necessary before the hold- 
over capacity of the reservoirs can be determined. As the limited 
gauge readings show two successive years of low run-off, only half of 
the hold-over capacity can be relied upon to supplement the flow 
in such years. Assuming the hold-over capacity at 200,000 acre-feet, 
it does not seem wise with the system as planned to count on an 
annual supply of over 400,000 acre-feet, or sufficient for the irriga- 
tion of 200,000 acres. 

9. Land. — The rainfall on the irrigable area is about 12 inches. 
The average elevation is 3,700 feet above sea level. The amount of 
land to be irrigated has been variously estimated, and as there is 
much more land of good quality than water available, it will depend 
on the water development. The number of acres proposed in the 
project is from 283,000 to 322,000, divided as follows: 

Acres. 

Fort Shaw unit, lying along south bank of the Sun River 16, 000 

High Line and Greenfields unit along north bank of the Sun River 

and on divide between Sun and Teton Rivers 94, 000 

Teton Slope and Muddy Creek 173,000 

Proposed extension in vicinity of town of Power 14, 000 

Lake Benton system 25, 000 

322, 000 

These areas are not very definitely determined. The ownership 
is distributed about as follows: 

Acres. 

Public land withdrawn from entry : 138, 000 

Land entered under reclamation act 93, 000 

State land 25, 000 

Private land 50, 000 

Fort Shaw unit under irrigation 16, 000 

322, 000 

10. The land is of good quality, especially on the benches. The 
soil is sandy loam, clay, gravel, and alluvium. Water is necessary to 
insure good crops, dry farming giving uncertain results, though prac- 
ticed in several localities. The land lies well for irrigation, includes 
but few nonirrigable areas, and permits economical development of 
canals and laterals. Drainage ditches will be necessary. Below the 
Fort Shaw unit private land has been under irrigation for some years, 
and large areas have become swamped due to over irrigation and 
lack of drainage. As this region is only semiarid, a duty of 1J 
acre-feet at the farm is considered sufficient. The crops are hay, 
alfalfa, grain, vegetables, and in the future probably sugar beets. 

11. Land without water is worth $5 to $20; with water, $75 to $100 
an acre. 

12. About 1900 the construction of a canal called the Kilmore Co- 
operative Canal was begun in order to irrigate the Greenfields bench, 
and about 4 miles of canal were constructed. The withdrawal under 
the reclamation act in 1903 of the public lands caused a suspension 
of this work, leaving the settlers without the anticipated water. 

13. Fort Shaw unit. — The only land opened for settlement in this 
project is the Fort Shaw unit, an abandoned military reservation, 
opened May, 1908. This unit comprises 16,000 acres, of which 13,500 
acres are public and 2,500 acres private land. There are 206 public 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 75 

farms, averaging 88 acres of total area and 61 acres of irrigable area. 
There have been entered 163 farms, or 9,500 acres of public land, and 
225 acres of private land have made water applications. In addition. 
1,200 acres of Indian school reserve land receive water. 

14. The Government unit is 40 to 80 acres, dependent on location 
and soil. While this land does not produce high-priced crops, there 
does not seem to be any objection to the small-size farms, as 40 per 
cent of the farms entered contain 40 acres or less of irrigable land, 
59 per cent 60 acres or less, and only 10 per cent over 80 acres. 

15. The assessed cost of construction for the unit is $30 per acre 
and of operation and maintenance $0.50 per acre per year. 

16. Engineering structures. — The only completed portion of this 
project is the Fort Shaw unit. Water is taken through concrete 
headworks from the Sun River and distributed by a system of canals, 
of which one-third mile has a capacity of greater than 300 second- 
feet, 17 miles of between 50 and 300 second-feet, and 88 miles less than 
50 second-feet. The turnouts are mainly of timber. The drops are 
of concrete. The slope of several of the laterals is large and erosion 
of the banks frequent. This can be readily corrected by insertion of 
drops, or by other means. 

17. The Willow Creek Dam is now under construction to a tempo- 
rary height of 70 feet, and side slopes of 3 to 1. When additional 
storage is needed it will be raised to a final height of 110 feet, with 
a top width of 20 feet, upstream slope of 3 to 1 and downstream 
slope of 2 to 1. The spillway for the lower dam will be through 
a gap in the surrounding hills. This will be closed by a dike when 
the dam is raised, and the spillway will be through another and higher 
gap. The outlet is by a tunnel passing around the end of the dam. 
The subsoil is glacial drift, 15 feet or less in depth, lying over sand- 
stone. Four cut-off trenches are excavated to the underlying rock 
and filled with selected puddled material. The storage capacity 
when the dam is completed to full height will be 84,000 acre-feet. 
The capacity of the temporary reservoir is 16,700 acre-feet. 

18. The proposed Pishkun Reservoir Dam and other earth dams 
are low and offer no difficulties of construction. 

19. The diversion dam in the Sun River Canyon will be of concrete 
of about 72 feet maximum height, and a top length of 150 to 160 feet. 

20. The site of the proposed dam for the Warm Springs Reservoir 
is located on the North Fork of the North Fork, about 12 miles above 
the canyon. It is planned to be a rock-fill dam backed with earth 
placed by the hydraulic process. The upstream slope is 3 to 1. It 
was first proposed to make the downstream slope 1 to 1, and the esti- 
mates were made by the Reclamation Service on that basis. It is now 
proposed to make it 1J by 1. The outlet will be by tunnel. Ample 
spillway is provided through a depression in the surrounding hills. 
Rock is found at a small depth below the creek bed. The material for 
construction is to be clay, coarse and fine gravel, sand, and some 
bowlders. The capacity is to be 156,800 acre-feet. 

21. Descriptions of Willow Creek and Warm Springs Dams with 
estimates are appended. 

22. Comments. — The works in the Fort Shaw unit are well de- 
signed and constructed. 

23. While it is at present proposed to raise the Willow Creek Dam 
from its present proposed height of 70 feet to a height of 110 feet, 



76 FUND FOR KECLAMATION OF AB1£> LANDS. 

this increase will not be needed for several years, and it is possible 
that the full height of 110 feet may not be needed. The reason given 
for adopting a rock-fill dam at Warm Springs is the high cost of a 
masonry structure constructed at such a distance from the railroad* 
As this dam will not be constructed for several years, possibly better 
railroad facilities will then exist, a further consideration is recom- 
mended of the type of this dam. The south side supply canal, as 
proposed, is to have a capacity of 1,100 second-feet. As is shown in 
Table 4 of the water-supply analysis, the maximum yearly amount 
that would have passed through the canal during the period 1905- 
1910 was 52,000 acre-feet, or only 24 days' flow when running full. 
As this amount can readily be diverted during the nonirrigating 
season with a canal of much less capacity, a further study is suggested. 

24. Costs and estimates. — There has been allotted to December 31, 
1910, $672,000, which has been used in constructing the Fort Shaw 
unit, in beginning the Willow Creek Reservoir, and in surveys and 
examinations for the complete project. The total estimate of cost, 
including work already done, is as follows : 

Fort Shaw unit, including share of storage cost and examinations $672, 000 

Willow Creek Reservoir, to complete 266, 600 

Bowl Creek Canal 25, 000 

Warm Springs Reservoir 664, 100 

Canyon Headworks 118, 500 

North Supply Canal 1, 157, 700 

South Supply Canal 130, 300 

Pishkun Reservoir 183, 600 

High Line and Greenfields Canals and extensions 1, 528, 200 

Teton Slope Canal and extensions 2, 427, 100 

Muddy Creek extension 319, 900 

Power extension 210, 000 

Benton Lake system 432, 600 

8, 135, 600 

25. This estimate is for the completion of the proposed project of 
322,000 acres. If the Power extension and the Benton Lake system 
are omitted this will reduce the total estimated cost to $7,493,000 for 
283,000 acres. 

26. It is thought by the board that this estimate is too low. In the 
Warm Springs Dam the unit costs for rock fill, earth fill, and riprap 
are all considered low, and in addition the proposed flattening of the 
rock-fill slope will increase the quantities. In the Canyon Headworks 
and the Willow Creek Dam some of the estimates of unit costs are 
also low. As the details of the project have not been worked out, the 
size of canals are not determined, and estimates on the canal system 
must be approximate. Having in view the uncertainties of much of 
the work, an item of 20 per cent for contingencies would be better 
than the 15 per cent adopted. It would be safer to make the esti- 
mate of the total cost as approaching $10,000,000 for the larger 
project and $9,000,000 for the smaller. The chief engineer of the 
Reclamation Service, in a communication dated October 29, 1910, 
makes approximately this recommendation. 

27. These figures would make the cost of construction per acre 
from $30 to $32. As stated above in the discussion of the water 
supply, it does not appear certain that over 400,000 acre-feet can be 
counted on. This is sufficient for about 200,000 acres of land, and it 
may be necessary to reduce the project to this acreage. As the cost 
of the storage system is relatively small, it may be taken as approxi- 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 77 

mately proportionate to the amount of land, and as all the land lies 
equally well for irrigation, the relative cost of the distribution sys- 
tem should be about the same for the smaller acreage. It may be 
assumed, therefore, that the building cost of 200,000 acres would be 
about $35 per acre. It is thought that the land could bear a cost 
not to exceed this amount. Further investigations with regard to the 
water supply and further surveys of the land to be irrigated are 
necessary before reliable estimates can be made. 

28. Summary. — (1) The project is feasible from an engineering 
and economic standpoint. 

(2) The lands and the water supply lie entirely within the State of 
Montana and to the east of the Rocky Mountains, except that a small 
proportion of the water may be diverted from the west side of the 
Divide. 

(3) The total amount of land in the project will vary from 
200,000 to 322,000 acres, dependent upon the amount of water avail- 
able. Of this, about 70 per cent is public land subject to the recla- 
mation act. 

(4) The amount of water is sufficient for 200,000 acres, and it may 
prove after further investigation that it is sufficient for a larger area. 

(5) The estimated cost may vary from about $7,000,000 to 
$10,000,000, depending on the amount of land included in the project. 
Of this $672,000 has been spent for the completion of the Fort Shaw 
unit and for surveys and examinations. 

(6) The land can bear the cost of construction, estimated at about 
$35 per acre. 

(7) The project is considered worthy and should be continued as 
soon as funds are available. 

(8) Further examinations of the water supply and surveys of the 
land will be necessary in order to determine the extent of the project. 

(9) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $3, 278, 000 



Section XIII. 

LOWER YELLOWSTONE PROJECT, MONTANA AND NORTH DAKOTA. 

1. The board visited this project on August 16 and 17, 1910, in- 
specting the principal engineering structures, the distribution system, 
and the irrigable lands, and held public meetings at Sydney and 
Valley View, Mont. 

2. Location. — This project is located on the west bank of the Yel- 
lowstone River, partly in Montana and partly in North Dakota. It 
lies between the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern Railroads, 
but the center of the irrigable area is about 35 miles from the nearest 
railroad station. A new railroad is projected which, when built, will 
give good railroad facilities to the entire project. At present the 
railroad station for the southern part of the project is Glendive, 
Mont., and for the central and northern parts, Mondak, Mont. 

3. Description. — The water for this project is taken from the Yel- 
lowstone River through concrete headworks, a diversion dam giving 



78 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 

the necessary head to cause a flow in the canal at low water. The 
dam and headworks are located about 17 miles below Glendive. The 
structures are described in the appendix to this section. Through 
the openings in the headworks the water passes into the main canal, 
and thence through the laterals and sublaterals to the lands to be 
irrigated. The main canal has a capacity at its head of 847 second- 
feet, and is now 62 miles long and ultimately will be about 70 miles 
long. There are now about 138 miles of laterals and sublaterals, 
with capacities of from 1 to 90 second-feet, and for the completion 
of the system 63 miles additional will be required. Important struc- 
tures along the line of the main canal are the flume carrying the 
waters of Linden Creek over the canal, the Burns Creek sluiceway, 
the Burns Creek conduit, and the Fox Creek siphon and spillway, all 
of which structures are of concrete. These structures, as well as the 
canals and laterals, appear to be well constructed. Wood is the mate- 
rial ordinarily used for construction of turn-outs and other minor 
works on the laterals. Generally the engineering structures seem to 
have been constructed economically, although based on experience 
elsewhere in the United States the cost of the diversion dam appears 
to be high. It is thought that a dam equally secure and equally suit- 
able could have been built for a more reasonable expenditure. The 
completion of the approved project involves, in addition to the exten- 
sion of the distribution system, the installation of a pumping unit 
for raising water to the high-line lateral located at one of the drops in 
the distribution system. 

4. Water supply. — The water supply for this project is more than 
ample, the minimum discharge being 4,500 second-feet, while the 
maximum capacity of the main canal is about 850 second-feet. The 
Government filing, made on October 30, 1905, is for 1,000 second-feet. 
The duty of water is figured at 2J acre-feet per acre at the farm. 
The average annual rainfall on the irrigable area is 16 inches. 

5. Lands. — Under the project as outlined and approved there is a 
total irrigable area of 62,280 acres, of which about 2,000 acres are 
State lands, about 5,000 acres belong to the Northern Pacific Railway, 
about 17,000 acres are public, the remainder being in private owner- 
ship. The railroad land is under agreement to be sold off in farm 
units. All the land is to be irrigated by gravity, except 2,314 acres, 
which are to be supplied by pumped water. Of the total acreage in 
the project, 35,395 acres were opened under the public notice of De- 
cember 21, 1908, the building charge being fixed at $42.50 per acre. 
Practically all of this area is deeded land or land which has been 
taken up under the terms of the reclamation act, there being only 
about 20 farm units still open, and these are in the poorest part of 
the valley. The public land taken up in this project has been home- 
steaded in 160-acre tracts, which, under the terms of the reclamation 
act, must be reduced to conform to the size set for the farm unit — 
that is, 80 acres. Acreage in excess of 80 irrigable acres must be re- 
turned to the Government and lands so returned will give further 
opportunities to new settlers. 

6. Before the project was started a large proportion of the owners 
of the private land entered into an agreement with the Government 
to take water from the system, and, in accordance with the law, all 
public land included in the project was so pledged. Since the Recla- 
mation Service has been prepared to supply water for the 35,395 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 79 

acres opened, only a small proportion of the farmers have filed appli- 
cation for water, there being now only about 13,000 acres for which 
the applications for water have been perfected, of which only 7,000 
acres were actually irrigated this year. This failure to utilize the 
irrigation system is believed to be due partly to the fact that for sev- 
eral years the rainfall has been sufficient to produce fair crops, caus- 
ing the farmers to postpone their applications ; and, secondly, to the 
dissatisfaction with the construction charges, which the farmers very 
generally claim to have been promised would not be more than $30 
per acre. The season of 1910 has been an unusually dry one, and 
unirrigated crops were^mostly total failures. Many of those not 
using water would doubtless have applied for it this season had it 
not been that before water would have been furnished it was required 
that amounts due for operation and maintenance for 1909 must be 
paid. For the next season this condition will be more severe, since 
before water will be furnished one installment of the construction 
charges and two years' charge for operation and maintenance, a total 
of $8.50 per acre, will be required. The large majority of the farmers 
claim that few of them will be able to meet the installments of the 
construction charges as now required, but state that under a system 
of graduated payments they will be able to do so. It is understood 
that a bill is now before Congress which, if it becomes a law, will per- 
mit a readjustment of the terms for repayment of building charges 
after they have already been fixed by the Secretary of the Interior. 
The situation of the farmers under this project appears to justify some 
readjustment in this case. Dissatisfaction is also expressed with the 
requirement that homesteaders must give up all of their holdings ex- 
cept 80 irrigable acres, many claiming that they did not so understand 
the law when they entered their land. They state that they would 
be satisfied to sell the excess holding, but that it is unjust to require 
them to give it up without compensation for improvements. This 
condition, however, seems to be a consequence of their ignorance of 
the terms of the law. 

7. The average elevation of the irrigable land is about 1,900 feet 
above sea level; the range of temperature is from —30° to 100° F., 
and the average annual rainfall is about 16 inches. The land lies on 
well-defined benches, is as a rule well adapted to irrigation, and is 
easily drained. The bottom lands are more or less covered with brush 
and are more liable to be uneven, and it is therefore more difficult to 
prepare them for irrigation. The soil is a deep, sandy loam, ap- 
parently fairly uniform in quality and easy to work. There is little 
alkali. The soil and climate are suitable for grain, alfalfa, etc., but 
the long wagon haul to market greatly decreases the net returns from 
these crops. Considering the certainty of a crop on irrigated land 
in dry years, as well as the more bountiful crops in ordinary years, 
the board believes that the land will bear the construction charges 
which have been set, and more readily so after the projected railroad 
is built. This charge of $42.50 per acre is, however, considered to 
be close to the limit of costs which the land will bear. Under present 
conditions it does not appear to be probable that farmers who are 
now two or more years in arrears for building charges and for opera- 
tion and maintenance can perfect their applications for water. The 
accumulation of back charges, the quality of the land, which at pres- 
ent produces only hay and grains, the distance to the railroad, the 



80 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

poverty due to the failure of this year's crop, have produced a condi- 
tion which it seems can be remedied only by some modification of 
the present requirements which would permit the farmers to obtain 
one irrigated crop prior to any demand for back charges, or which 
would provide for a system of graduated payments. 

8. The board believes that the farm unit of 80 acres is sufficient to 
support a family if it is properly worked. While the actual cost per 
acre for operation and maintenance has so far been much greater than 
the charge, which has been set at $1 per acre per year, it is probable 
that when the canals are well seasoned and when the bulk of the land 
is under irrigation that the cost per acre will not exceed $1, which 
appears to be a reasonable charge. 

9. Completion of the system. — No extensions are proposed, but it is 
contemplated that the approved project shall be completed. The 
completion will involve only the extensions of the present and the 
construction of some additional laterals and the installation of the 
pumping equipment. The board regards the completion of the sys- 
tem as feasible and practicable, but it does not regard it as desirable 
that further large expenditures be made for this purpose until it is 
demonstrated that most of the acreage now in reach of the irrigation 
water is actually being irrigated and with satisfactory results; and, 
furthermore, that it will be wise to await the completion of the rail- 
road before completing the system so as to render more probable 
successful results. 

10. Returns to the reclamation fund. — The aggregate of allotments 
to date is $2,910,000, and the supervising engineer states that addi- 
tional allotments to the amount of $613,000 will be required to com- 
plete the work, making a total of $3,523,000. Since the costs of opera- 
tion and maintenance are paid out of the allotments from the reclama- 
tion fund, and since collections to cover such costs are returned to the 
fund through the land offices, the total of allotments for a project 
must be decreased by the collections (or accruals) for operation and 
maintenance in order to show the amount properly chargeable to con- 
struction. In the case of the Lower Yellowstone project, however, the 
collections for operation and maintenance to date have been only 
$12,067, which will probably be barely sufficient to cover the deficit 
for operation and maintenance for the next season. For this reason 
it is believed to be advisable to take $3,523,000 as the probable total 
construction cost of the completed system. 

11. The 35,395 acres already opened at $42.50 should return $1,504,- 
287.50. Subtracting this from the estimated total cost, the remainder 
is $2,018,712.50. If it is assumed that the lands not yet opened are to 
repay this amount, then the charge for construction would have to be 
fixed at about $75 per acre. On the other hand, assuming that the 
remaining area is to be opened at $42.50 per acre, the total expected 
return from the 62,280 acres will be $2,646,900. Under this assump- 
tion the loss to the reclamation fund will be $876,000. It is possible 
that before the remaining area is opened conditions will justify a 
charge per acre above $42.50, but in any event it seems inevitable that 
there will be a large loss on this project to the reclamation fund. 
Since for an estimated additional expenditure of $613,000 an area of 
26,885 irrigable acres will be added, the completion of the project 
will, if the lands repay the charges, reduce the deficit from what it 
would be if the project was restricted to the area already opened. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 81 

12. Summary. — (1) This project is interstate in character, being 
partly in Montana and partly in North Dakota. 

(2) Out of an area of 62.280 irrigable acres in the project only 
17,000 acres, or 27 per cent, are public, subject to the reclamation act. 

(3) The engineering structures and the distribution system are 
well constructed and economically designed and constructed, with the 
possible exception of the diversion dam and headworks. 

(4) The completion of the project as outlined is feasible. 

(5) No large expenditures should be made toward the completion 
of the project until the area already open is utilized with success. 

(6) In the event of such successful utilization the project should 
then be completed as outlined. 

(7) In the opinion of the board the farm unit of 80 acres is suffi- 
cient to support a family. 

(8) If permitted by law some modification should be made in the 
terms of the contract with the farmers on this project which will 
enable them to obtain one irrigated crop prior to any demand for back 
charges, or which will provide for a system of graduated payments. 

(9) There will be a large loss on this project to the reclamation 
fund. 

(10) The estimated final cost of the project is about $3,523,000, of 
which approximately $2,900,000 had been expended prior to June 
30, 1910. 

(11) The following allotment is recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive : 

From the fund $578, 000 



Section XIV. 

NORTH PLATTE PROJECT, WYOMING AND NEBRASKA. 

1. The board visited the Pathfinder Dam on August 1 and 2, the 
proposed site for the new diversion dam at Guernsey on August 3, and 
the line of the proposed Goshen Park Canal on August 4 and 5. The 
diversion dam at Whalen and the Interstate Canal were inspected on 
August 6. Public hearings were held in Casper and Torrington, 
Wyo., and in Mitchell and Bridgeport, Nebr. 

2. Location. — This project is located in eastern Wyoming and west- 
ern Nebraska, and lies on both sides of the North Platte River. It 
extends along the river from Whalen, Wyo., to Bridgeport, Nebr., a 
length of 98 miles, and varies in width from 4 to 20 miles. Its main 
water supply and the greater part of the irrigable lands under the 
complete project lie in Wyoming. The lands in the unit now under 
construction lie in Nebraska. A branch line of the Chicago, Burling- 
ton & Quincy Railroad traverses the project from end to end, fur- 
nishing good railroad facilities. 

3. Description. — The project includes a storage reservoir above the 
Pathfinder Dam, which is located 3 miles below the junction of the 
Sweetwater and North Platte Rivers; the utilization of the channel 
of the North Platte River for a distance of about 180 miles to con- 
duct the stored water to the area to be irrigated; diversion dams at 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 6 



82 FUND FOE BECLAMATION" OF ARID LANDS. 

several points in the lower river; and the main canals and laterals 
necessary to distribute the water over the lands. Of this project the 
completed portions are: The Pathfinder Dam (nearly finished), the 
diversion dam at Whalen, and the main canal, 95 miles long, heading 
at the Whalen Dam, known as the Interstate Canal, which with its 
laterals is now largely in use irrigating the greater part of the first* 
unit on the north side of the river. The parts still to be built include a 
diversion dam at Guernsey, to divert water into a proposed south 
canal for irrigating the Goshen Park area, the extension of the Inter- 
state Canal and its laterals, and perhaps the construction of a pro- 
posed south canal heading at the Whalen Dam, and known as the Fort 
Laramie Canal. 

4. Before this work was undertaken by the Keclamation Service 
several canals had been built by private enterprise. The WTialen Falls 
Canal, heading in the river near Whalen, was built to irrigate about 
28,000 acres, partly Carey Act lands, and the Tri-State or Farmers' 
Canal, heading just east of the Nebraska-Wyoming State line. Other 
private canals were the Mitchell and Gering Canal, Castle Rock, 
Hillside, Winter Creek, Bayard, and Alliance. The right of way of 
the Whalen Falls Canal, about 45 miles long, was purchased by the 
Reclamation Service and used for the Interstate Canal. The areas 
irrigated under the Interstate Canal include, by special agreement, 
the lands formerly irrigated under the canals which were absorbed 
by the Government and the lands lying to the eastward included be- 
tween the Tri-State and the Interstate Canals. 

5. Engineering features. — The main engineering feature of the 
project is the Pathfinder Dam and Reservoir. The dam is about 54 
miles from Casper, Wyo., and is located in the bed of the North 
Platte River in a narrow gorge having granite walls. It is of the 
arch type, the radius of its center line being 150 feet, and is built 
of uncoursed cyclopean granite masonry except the two faces, which 
are laid in 2 and 3 foot courses. The height is 214 feet above the 
river bed. It is 432 feet long on top and 80 feet long on the bottom. 
The top width is 14 feet, providing a 10-foot roadway, and the bot- 
tom width is 90 feet. A spillway 700 feet long at the north end is 
under construction. This spillway is being cut in the rock abutment 
and will be provided with a low concrete weir. The area of the 
reservoir at the level of the spillway is 21,774 acres, and its capacity 
is 1,025,000 acre-feet. 

6. It was the original intention to release all the water through 
the tunnel cut in the natural rock on the north side used to pass the 
river flow during construction. This tunnel is 481 feet long, 10 feet 
by 13 feet in cross section, and has a capacity of 7,000 second-feet 
under full head. It is closed by four sliding cast-iron gates separated 
by concrete piers, the tunnel being widened to maintain ample sec- 
tional area. These gates are under 180-foot head when the reservoir 
is full. Although this head has never been reached, the force of the 
water while being discharged under less head was such as to damage 
the tunnel lining and an additional outlet at a higher level was de- 
cided upon. This will be 60 feet higher, will be 360 feet long and 12 
feet by 13 feet in cross section. Water will be admitted by six needle 
or balanced-pressure valves 5 feet in diameter. This tunnel is nearly 
completed 



FUND FOK EECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 83 

7. The rock abutment of the dam on the left bank is continuous to 
high ground, but on the right bank the rock surface drops and the 
abutment is connected with the high ground by a long, flat ridge of 
gravel and sand in layers, the rock surface not being found at depths 
of 60 feet below the surface. This gravel ridge has a long gap which 
is lower than the spillways. To close this gap an earth dike is now 
being constructed. This dike is strengthened by using a concrete core 
wall, by the selection of impervious material for the interior, and by 
heavy paving on the reservoir side. 

8. The Whalen Diversion Dam is a concrete overflow weir of the 
ogee type with a height of 26 feet at the highest place and a length 
of 300 feet. Head gates are provided at each end, one set of which is 
in use at the head of the Interstate Canal, and the other set is intended 
for the Fort Laramie Canal if it should be constructed. 

9. The Interstate is the main canal. It has a calculated carrying 
capacity of 1,400 second-feet for the first 28 miles, after which the 
capacity is reduced. It was designed for a velocity of 2.8 feet per 
second, which was exceeded when the canal was put in operation, and 
a system of check gates was necessary throughout its entire length. 
Three reenf orced concrete siphons of the box type were constructed to 
carry the canals under Rawhide, Spotted Tail, and Dry Spotted Tail 
Creeks. 

10. The plan of irrigation comprises three districts in addition to 
the land formerly irrigated under private systems. A series of three 
reservoirs is contemplated, having capacities of 13,000, 27,000, and 
90,000 acre- feet, to enable more water to be saved from the flood flow 
of the river. 

11. Water supply. — This project gets its water from the North 
Platte River, which has a drainage area of 12,000 square miles, an 
average annual rainfall over the drainage basin of 20 inches, and an 
average run-off of 1,500,000 acre-feet. Many private canals using the 
waters of the North Platte River have water rights that antedate the 
filings of the Government and an adjudication of these rights by the 
State engineers of Wyoming and Nebraska has recently been made, 
allowing 463 second-feet in Wyoming and 4,618 second-feet in 
Nebraska. The Reclamation Service believes that the latter is ex- 
cessive and that 3,000 second- feet would more than cover the amount 
of the priorities put to beneficial use. A study of the water supply 
has recently been made by the Chief Engineer of the Reclamation 
Service, and is attached hereto. From the assumptions made therein 
the conclusions are reached that the supply is ample for the irrigation 
of the Interstate unit and the Goshen Park unit, with a surplus suffi- 
cient for 30,000 acres additional, and as much more as the return 
seepage can supply. The assumptions seem reasonable and the board 
agrees with the conclusion that there will be sufficient water for the 
Interstate and the Goshen Park units. The acreage irrigable by the 
available supply is so dependent on how much water can be legally 
claimed by prior appropriators that these assumptions may be ma- 
terially changed when the prior rights are definitely known. Large 
extensions of the project should not be made until all the water rights 
are settled by court decision. 

12. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 4,100 feet 
above sea level, the range of temperature is from 25° below zero to 
100° Fahrenheit, and the average annual rainfall is 15 inches. Dry 



84 FUND FOE EECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 

farming is usually not successful. The lands of the project are in 
two main units, the Interstate and the Goshen Park units. 

13. Lands in the Interstate unit. — The lands now under irrigation 
extend along the North Platte from Whalen to Bridgeport, much of 
the land, amounting to about 90,000 acres, west of Bed Willow Creek 
in the lower part being irrigated by private canals. The areas to 
be supplied under the project are all north of the river and are 
divided into four sections. The first includes about 17,870 acres of 
land in Wyoming formerly irrigated under a private system, partly 
under the Carey Act, which land is now furnished with water under 
special agreement without charge for construction and with a fixed 
charge of 40 cents a year for 10 years for maintenance and operation. 
The next two districts, known as the first and second lateral districts, 
cover 36,760 acres and 34,100 acres, respectively. These areas are 
now largely under irrigation. The next is the third lateral district 
of 38,000 acres, in which the canals and laterals are now being built. 
The total of the Interstate Canal unit, including several small areas 
reserved, is 129,270 acres. Of this area 2,179 acres are under the 
Carey Act, 3,369 acres are school lands, 34,864 acres are privately 
owned, and the remainder are under the reclamation act. There are 
88,716 acres ready for water, and 51,218 acres were irrigated in 1910. 

14. The Interstate Canal as it flows eastward approaches a pri- 
vately owned canal known as the Tri-State, and the irrigable area 
lying between is narrowed. At Red Willow Creek the canals come 
near enough together to permit the irrigation of the land lying east 
of this creek by an extension of either canal. 

15. The principal products are alfalfa, cereals, corn, sugar beets, 
and potatoes. The soil is a light sandy loam and is easily drained. 
But little trouble from swamping is expected. 

16. The value of the land under this unit before irrigation was 
from $5 to $25 per acre, and after irrigation from $75 to $100. From 
a consideration of the land values and its productiveness, the board 
believes that a construction charge of about $60 per acre can probably 
be borne. This amount is near the limit which the land can bear 
and with this charge the public lands will probably be slowly taken 
up for settlement. The farm unit is 80 acres. 

17. Lands in the Goshen Park unit. — All the lands of this unit lie 
south of the river. The irrigable area is stated as about 210,000 acres. 
No work has been done beyond land surveys and canal locations. To 
irrigate this area it will be necessary to build a dam in the river above 
Guernsey, about 100 feet high. This dam would divert the water 
through a tunnel into a main canal which would skirt the highlands 
for a length of about 148 miles. Recent surveys show that a part of 
the area of this unit can be irrigated more economically by a lower 
canal heading in the river at the Whalen Dam. This proposed canal, 
known as the Fort Laramie, would supply 60,000 acres. 

18. About 75 per cent of the area of this unit is public land, 5 per 
cent State land, and 2,500 acres are occupied under the Carey Act. 
In 1908 all unpatented public lands were withdrawn from entry to 
prevent settlement until again opened. 

19. Some land on the south side of the river, amounting to about 
40,000 acres, has been irrigated under private canals. Of this amount, 
the Mitchell and Gering Canal irrigates about 28,000 acres. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 85 

20. In general, the land is superior to that on the north side of the 
river, as there is less sand. When irrigated it sells at from $100 to 
$150 per acre. Without water it is worth only a few dollars per 
acre for grazing. The land of this unit, in the main, lies well for 
drainage, but some ditches for this purpose will probably be neces- 
sary in the lowlands near the river and occasionally elsewhere, as in 
Cherry Creek Valley. 

21. Cost. — The cost of the reservoir has been $1,408,838.21 up to 
June 30, 1910. There has been allotted to this work $1,640,000. It 
will require for completion about $110,000 additional, as follows : 

Completing dike $20, 000 

Completing south side tunnel 75,000 

Completing north tunnel lining and spillway— 15, 000 

110, 000 

This will make the total cost of the reservoir about $1,750,000. 

22. The expenditures on the Interstate unit were $3,210,835.18 up 
to June 30, 1910. Allotments amounting to $3,495,000 have been 
made up to December, 1910. The estimate for completion is $1,075,000 
additional, as follows: 

Dam of Reservoir No. 1 $60, 000 

Dam of Reservoir No. If 35, 000 

Extending main canals and laterals 130, 000 

Dam of Reservoir No. 2 260, 000 

Dam of Reservoir No. 3 300, 000 

Canal and lateral system, Dam No. 3 260, 000 

Lateral system for isolated tracts 30, 000 

Total 1, 075, 000 

This will make the total cost of the unit about $4,570,000. If part 
of the cost of the reservoir, amounting to $500,000, be added as the 
proportionate share of this unit the cost will be $5,070,000, which is 
the amount to be returned to the reclamation fund by payment of the 
construction charges. Construction charges were announced on this 
project under several public notices between 1907 and 1910. The 
first price set was $35 and applies to a small area, but this was found 
to be too low and was later changed to $45. Repayments are ex- 
pected by the Reclamation Service under these notices as follows : 

551 acres are to pay $35, or $19, 285 

68,718 acres are to pay $45, or 3, 092, 310 

69,269 - 3,111,595 

There are 17,870 acres which pay no construction charge, leaving 
the remaining land of the project, 42,131 acres, to repay about 
$1,958,405, or about $46.48 per acre. Either the construction charge 
on this unit will have to be raised to at least $46.48 or there will be 
considerable loss to the reclamation fund. 

23. Surveys for a high-line canal to irrigate 150,000 acres have been 
completed, and the estimated cost of construction is about $12,000,000. 
Surveys for the Fort Laramie Canal, to irrigate 60,000 acres, are not 
yet completed, but it is estimated that the cost will not exceed 
$3,000,000. This would make a total cost for the irrigation of the 
210,000 acres of $15,000,000, or about $70 per acre. It is thought 
that under present conditions this is more than the land can bear, as 
it is suitable only for ordinary farm products. Moreover, it is stated 



86 FUND FOE RECLAMATION" OF ARID LANDS. 

by the Reclamation Service that about 40,000 acres of this is second- 
class land and would cost about $20 per acre to bring it under culti- 
vation, and that suitable provision will have to be made for drainage, 
estimated to cost about $3 per acre. Under present conditions, there- 
fore, it does not seem practicable to construct a high-line canal either 
for the entire area or for 150,000 acres. The Fort Laramie Canal 
will cost $3,000,000 for 60,000 acres, or not to exceed $50 per acre. 
Of this 60,000 acres, 30,200 are public land subject to the reclamation 
act, 6,000 acres State lands, and 23,800 private lands. It is recom- 
mended that the Fort Laramie Canal be constructed. If it is found 
at a later date that the remaining lands in the Goshen Park unit can 
stand a construction charge of $70 to $80 per acre, a high-line canal 
can be subsequently built, or, if not, the surplus water from the Path- 
finder Reservoir can be sold to the various private canals along the 
river that desire to make use of it should this course be authorized 
by law. 

24. Since commencing irrigation the operation and maintenance 
charges have amounted to $351,306.28 up to June 30, 1910. Except 
for the collection of $2 per acre from 551 acres and 40 cents per acre 
from 17,874 acres, the cost of operation and maintenance has been 
added to the construction charge. 

25. The cost of operation and maintenance in 1908 was $175,430.88, 
or an average of about $2 per acre for all the irrigable land within 
reach of water. This amount is high, but as additional areas are 
brought under the system and as the canals and laterals become sea- 
soned this unit cost should be reduced. 

26. Comments. — At the public hearing at Bridgeport the land- 
owners in the vicinity expressed a desire to have the Government ex- 
tend the Interstate Canal eastward to supply considerable areas east 
of Red Willow Creek. If the development of the Goshen Park area 
south of the river is determined on, such an extension would probably 
not be practicable, as it is doubtful whether the water supply will be 
sufficient for both. It would also require an increase in the carrying 
capacity of the Interstate Canal and some of its structures. The area 
in the Goshen Park unit is largely public land, and its irrigation is 
regarded as preferable to that of the Bridgeport extension of the 
Interstate unit. 

27. The board believes that it is desirable to complete the Inter- 
state unit for the full 110,000 acres of the three lateral districts, as at 
present proposed, that the water rights be adjudicated by court deci- 
sion, and that 60,000 acres in the Goshen Park unit, under the Fort 
Laramie Canal, be irrigated. 

28. Summary. — (1) The project is feasible from an engineering 
and economic standpoint. 

(2) It is interstate in character, lying partly in Wyoming and 
partly in Nebraska. 

(3) The area in the part of the project at present approved, the 
Interstate unit, is 129,270 acres, of which about 64 per cent is public 
land subject to the reclamation act. The area of the Goshen Park 
unit (not yet approved) is about 210,000 acres, of which about 75 per 
cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) The water supply available depends on the prior rights. There 
is a sufficient supply for the present Interstate unit and probably for 
the entire Goshen Park unit. Any considerable extension beyond the 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 87 

present approved unit should not be begun until the water rights on 
this stream are adjudicated in the Federal courts and the rights of the 
Government definitely known. 

(5) The total estimated cost of the Pathfinder Reservoir is $1,750,- 
000, of which $1,408,000 has been expended. That of the Interstate 
unit is $5,070,000, of which $3,211,000 has been expended. The Inter- 
state unit is about 80 per cent completed. 

(6) The land in the Interstate unit can bear the construction charge 
of about $46.50, and that in the proposed Fort Laramie unit can bear 
the probable charge of $50 per acre. The large probable cost of $80 
per acre for the remainder of the Goshen Park unit is believed to be 
in excess of what the land can bear at present. 

(7) Owing to the large expenditures already made, the compara- 
tively large amount of public land, and the interstate character of the 
project, the Interstate unit should be continued at an economical rate 
of progress until completed ; the Fort Laramie unit should be under- 
taken, but the remainder of the Goshen Park unit should not be com- 
menced at present. If this land should not increase in value suffi- 
ciently after the development of the Fort Laramie unit to warrant its 
irrigation, the surplus water should be used on other irrigable areas 
in order to repay the proportionate cost of the reservoir. 

(8) The following allotments are recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive : 

From the fund $2, 185, 000 

From the loan 2, 000, 000 

Total 4, 185, 000 



Section XV. 

TRUCKEE-CARSON PROJECT, NEVADA. 

1. The Truckee-Carson project was visited by the board on Sep- 
tember 27 and 28. The head works in the Carson River near Hazen 
and the irrigated lands in the vicinity of Fallon were visited on the 
former date. Churchill Valley, the lower Carson Reservoir site and 
the dam site for this reservoir, together with Truckee River diversion 
dam and the main Truckee Canal, were inspected on the latter date. 
On the evening of September 27 a public hearing was held in the 
town of Fallon. 

2. Location and description. — The Truckee-Carson irrigation pro- 
ject provides for supplying water over large areas of land, at present 
barren, lying in the vicinity of Fallon, Hazen, and Fernley, Nev. 
For this purpose it is proposed to use the waters of the Truckee and 
Carson Rivers, which now flow into natural depressions in the bed of 
the primeval Lake Lahontan and disappear. The irrigating water 
comes mainly from snowfall on the mountains of eastern California, 
supplemented by rains in the drainage basin of the Truckee and Car- 
son Rivers. The project is interstate in character, as part of the water 
supply and much of the storage are within the State of California, 
while the irrigated lands are in Nevada. 

3. The project involves the diversion of a part of the natural flow 
of the Truckee River through a canal into the Carson River, together 



88 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

with such stored water as may be conserved in Lake Tahoe. In addi- 
tion to the flow from the Truckee Kiver it is proposed to use the 
water of the Carson Kiver, collecting the flow of both streams in a 
reservoir to be formed by a dam in the Carson below the outlet of the 
Truckee Canal. From this reservoir the supply will be released 
into the Carson River and again picked up at a diversion dam lower 
downstream, where the main distribution system commences. The 
completed work includes a diversion dam in the Truckee River, near 
Clarks, diverting water into the main Truckee Canal; the construc- 
tion of the main Truckee Canal, 31 miles long, having a capacity of 
1,200 second-feet; borings and other investigations for the Carson 
River storage dam and for the outlet works for Lake. Tahoe; the 
construction of the Carson River diversion dam, about 4 miles from 
the lower end of the Truckee Canal ; the construction of two irrigat- 
ing canals, one of 1,500 second-feet capacity and the other of 450 
second-feet capacity; the extension of laterals and minor ditches of 
the distribution system. 

4. Transportation facilities. — The main line of the Southern Pa- 
cific Railway passes through Hazen, one of the towns of the project, 
and a branch line to Fallon affords transportation facilities for the 
greater part of the project. The most distant farm unit from a rail- 
way station will require a 15-mile haul to place its products upon 
railway cars. 

5. Construction features. — The waters of the Truckee River are 
diverted into the main Truckee Canal by a dam about 20 miles below 
Reno. This dam is of concrete and is supplied with sluice gates, 16 
in number for passing the river flow and 9 for controlling the flow 
into the canal. There is no overfall section in the river portion, the 
entire river passing through the sluiceways. The main Truckee Canal 
empties into the Carson River a short distance above the site for the 
storage dam to be built later. This dam will collect the waters of 
both the Truckee and Carson Rivers. About 4 miles below this dam 
site is the diversion dam for the distribution system. It is similar 
to the Truckee Dam, but has headworks at each end for controlling 
the two canals. The river flow is passed through 23 sluiceways, the 
dam. having no overflow section. The main distributing canal lies on 
the right bank and has a capacity of 1,500 second-feet. The one on 
the other bank has a capacity of 450 second-feet. These two canals 
with their smaller laterals cover an area of country extending about 
25 miles eastward and about 20 miles north and south. There are 
four tunnels on the main Truckee Canal. 

6. Water supply. — Water is supplied from the Carson and Truckee 
Rivers, the combined annual run-off amounting to about 1,000,000 
acre-feet. The area of the drainage basin is 3,450 square miles. Its 
average elevation above sea level is about 8,000 feet. The rainfall is 
about 25 inches. The average annual discharge from Lake Tahoe 
into the Truckee River for 10 years from 1900 to 1909 amounted to 
317,000 acre-feet, the minimum being 112,730 acre-feet, and the maxi- 
mum being 704,200 acre-feet. The average annual discharge of the 
Truckeet River at Vista below the town of Reno for 10 years was 
865,840 acre-feet, the minimum being 391,000 acre-feet in 1900, and 
the maximum 1,813,000 acre-feet in 1907. The average annual dis- 
charge of the Carson River at Empire for nine years, 1901 to 1909, 
was 397,797 acre-feet, the maximum 703,900 in 1907, and the mini- 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 89 

mum 141,650 in 1908. In order to utilize the large discharge of these 
rivers considerable storage capacity is necessary, and several suitable 
sites are available. The most important of these is Lake Tahoe, one 
of the sources of the Truckee River. This lake is situated at an 
elevation of 6,230 feet above sea level and has an area of 193 square 
miles. The drainage area above the lake outlet is 519 square miles, 
and below its outlet the river receives the drainage of about 1,000 
square miles more. 

7. The storage capacity of the lake between the limits of natural 
variation is upward of 600,000 acre-feet. By regulating the outlet 
this lake is relied on to furnish storage capacity for at least 200,000 
acre-feet for use on the project. It is proposed to construct a storage 
reservoir in the lower Carson River by building a rock-fill dam. 
This reservoir will have a capacity of 290,000 acre-feet. Another de- 
pression in the Carson River near the town of Dayton, known as 
Alkali Flat, may be used for storage if later found necessary. Its 
capacity will be about 228,000 acre-feet. 

8. On this project it may be stated that the amount of land of suit- 
able character is far in excess of what can be supplied with water. 
There are about 40,000 acres of land irrigated under private canals 
in the near vicinity of Reno. The water for this land is taken from 
the summer flow of the Truckee River, and is probably a prior right 
to that of the Government, but it does not include any stored water. 
Some private land in the upper Carson Valley is also irrigated under 
prior rights. The water rights on the Truckee River have not been 
adjudicated, but it is stated that this is now in progress. 

9. From the records there is apparently more water available than 
is necessary for the present proposed acreage of the project, which 
might permit some expansion, but a study of the precipitation rec- 
ords shows that the years of recorded discharge were years of more 
than usual rainfall, so that a considerable margin for safety is al- 
lowed by the Reclamation Service. 

10. The adopted plan assumes a regulated flow in the Truckee 
River. In the absence of such regulation, either by means of Lake 
Tahoe or other reservoirs on the Truckee River, not more than 150,000 
acres could be irrigated in an unfavorable year as 1908, the year of 
the minimum recorded flow. 

11. Utilizing the storage capacity of Lake Tahoe and regulating 
the Truckee River flow both depend upon effecting some agreement 
with the prior claimants to the waters of this lake. The principal one 
of these is the Truckee River General Electric Co., which claims to 
have prior rights to about 400 second-feet of the flow for power. 
This company claims to own the outlet of the lake and desires to regu- 
late the flow in its own interests. The company proposed last year 
to construct a new outlet to the lake, build the necessary controlling 
works, rebuild the old outlet works, and accept the responsibility for 
all damages in connection therewith if the Reclamation Service would 
pay one-half the cost of rebuilding the old works (this share amount- 
ing to about $20,000), operate the headworks at both outlets, fur- 
nish the company with 475 second-feet daily through the new outlet, 
and protect the company from suits after the new plant was installed. 
They offered to furnish water from other sources than Lake Tahoe 
for irrigating large areas around Reno, now being supplied partly 



90 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

from Lake Tahoe by private companies. They proposed also to con- 
struct a reservoir at Washoe Lake of about 168,000 acre- feet capacity 
to hold the water used during the winter months for power develop- 
ment, which, under present conditions, is wasted. The old lake outlet 
would be used only to regulate the flow whenever necessary. 

12. This agreement was not approved by the Secretary of the 
Interior. The use of Lake Tahoe for storage, while not an essential 
part of the project, is a very desirable one. The regulation of the 
flow of Truckee River, without using Lake Tahoe, could possibly be 
affected by storage elsewhere, but at a largely increased cost. A 
fuller discussion of the water supply is appended hereto. 

13. Lands. — The amount of land under this project is 206,000 acres, 
to which must be added 13,000 acres which have a vested water right 
recognized by the Government and three or four thousand acres con- 
cerning which no agreement has been made. About 60 per cent of 
the project is public land. Only the first unit of 92,018 acres has 
been completed, of which 32,000 acres were furnished with water this 
year. In this unit there are 46,110 acres of public land, 45,908 acres 
of private land, of which 10,147 acres belong to the railroad and are 
now being sold in small tracts with the requirement that water be 
applied for under the reclamation act. There are included in the 
irrigated portion 4,600 acres of Piute Indian lands, for which the 
Indian Office pays the regular charge. The land is at an elevation 
of about 4,000 feet and has an average annual rainfall of 4 inches. 
It is worthless for cultivation unless irrigated. The duty of water 
is 3 feet on the land. The temperature ranges from 0° to 105° F. 
The farm unit is 80 acres if public land and 160 acres if in private 
ownership. The land lies in the bed of an old lake and has a slight 
slope sufficient for irrigation. Drainage has been found necessary, 
but where open drains are used swamping seems to be prevented. 
Alkali is found in some localities. 

14. The soil is sandy loam, clay, and adobe loam. The crops are 
alfalfa, sugar beets, grains, and vegetables. A beet-sugar factory is 
under construction at Fallon. Land without a water right is prac- 
tically valueless, but with a good water right it is often valued at 
over $100 per acre. Seventy -five dollars per acre would be about an 
average price. The public land is not being rapidly taken up, partly 
due to the undeveloped condition of the country. It was stated by 
the Truckee- Carson Farmers' Association that $50 was about the 
limit of construction charge that the land could bear. There is no 
water users' association, the agreement as to the use of water being 
between the Government and the individual farmer. The settlement 
of land under this project has been slow but has now reached a point 
where the adequate supply of water for greater area is not practicable 
without storage. 

15. Cost. — The total expenditure under this project up to June 30, 
1910, was $4,082,233.11, of which $137,000, or 3.4 per cent, was for 
examinations and surveys ; $442,700, or 10.8 per cent, was for super- 
intendence, engineering, and clerical services on the project; $5,668.55, 
or 0.14 per cent was for the supervising engineer's office, and $167,- 
070.10, or 4.9 per cent, was for the Washington and Chicago offices, 
expert engineering, etc. The estimated cost of the completed project 



FU2TD FOE KECLAMATION OF AKID LANDS. 91 

is $7,0V)0,000, or about $3,000,000 in addition to expenditures up to 
the present time. The items for this additional expenditure are : 

Lake Tahoe Reservoir $20, 000 

Lower Carson Reservoir Dam 1, 250, 000 

District 5, distribution system 61, 000 

District 3, distribution system 94, 000 

District 4, distribution system 228, 000 

Carson Lake extension 316, 000 

Alkali Flat Reservoir 400, 000 

Pyramid Lake extension 500, 000 

Churchill Valley 131, 000 

Total 3, 000, 000 

16. There has been allotted to this project $4,178,000 up to December 
31, 1910. The construction charges were first set at $22 per acre, and 
24,000 acres were taken up at this figure. Later the charge was 
raised to $30 and 6,000 acres were taken up. Thirteen thousand acres 
pay no construction charges. There are, therefore, 43,000 acres which 
are to return $708,000 to the reclamation fund. To return the cost to 
the reclamation fund, the remaining 176,000 acres will have to return 
$6,292,000, or an average of about $36 per acre, assuming that all the 
land will be disposed of at this figure and the estimates for completion 
are not exceeded. A later estimate for completion has been submitted by 
the chief engineer, dated October 29, 1910, amounting to $3,500,000, 
which it is thought will all be needed. On this basis the charge per 
acre would be about $39 to return the cost to the fund. The arrange- 
ment of charges suggested by the Reclamation Service is as follows : 

First unit settled, 24,000 acres, at $22 $528, 000 

Second unit settled, 6,000 acres, at $30 180, 000 

Area to be opened before Alkali Flat Reservoir is constructed, 142,000 

acres, at $35 4,970,000 

Area to be opened after constructed, 34,000 acres, at $40 1, 360, 000 

Total, per 206,000 acres 7, 038, 000 

17. The cost of operation and maintenance in 1909 was $39,452.12, 
and the return was $20,920.90, leaving a deficit of $18,531.22. The 
charge for operation and maintenance has now been raised from 40 
cents per acre per annum to 60 cents. The actual cost should be less 
than 60 cents when a large area is under irrigation, so that the deficit 
may ultimately be reduced by retaining the higher charge after the 
cost of operation is lowered. 

18. Comment. — The diversion dams at both the Truckee and Car- 
son Rivers are constructed without spillway, the river flow being 
passed through a series of gates. In both cases accidents have oc- 
curred, due to the blocking of the high-water flow by drifts or other 
causes, the river cutting around one end in one case and both ends 
in the other. This would indicate that the type was not particularly 
well adapted to the purpose for which designed. With this exception, 
the engineering features visited by the board seem to be well suited 
to the purpose for which intended. 

19. Summary. — (1) The project is feasible in an engineering and 
economic sense. 

(2) It is interstate in character, the water supply and storage be- 
ing mainly in California and the irrigable area in Nevada. 



92 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(3) The total area involved is 206,000 acres, of which about 60 per 
cent is public land. 

(4) The water supply is sufficient with the storage proposed. 

(5) The estimated cost of completion is $7,000,000, of which 
$4,082,233.11 has been expended. 

(6) The land can return the construction charge, which is now esti- 
mated at $35 to $40, but which may have to be increased. 

(7) The project is a worthy one ; is now more than 60 per cent com- 
pleted, and should be continued at an economical rate of progress 
until finished. 

(8) The following allotments are recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $1, 594, 000 

From the loan___ 1, 193, 000 



2, 787, 000 



Section XVI. 

CARLSBAD PROJECT, NEW MEXICO. 

1. The board visited this project on October 15, 1910, inspecting 
the reservoirs McMillan and Avalon, the Dark Canyon Siphon, the 
river aqueduct, the distributing system, and the irrigable lands. In 
the evening of that day the board held a meeting with the water users' 
association. 

2. Location. — This project is located on the Pecos River, in Eddy 
County, N. Mex. The project is traversed by a branch of the Santa 
Fe Railway, which gives good transportation facilities for the entire 
irrigable area. 

3. Purchase. — This irrigation system was constructed by the Pecos 
Irrigation Co., which operated it until a flood in October, 1904, 
destroyed the dam at Lake Avalon. The company being unable to 
rebuild the dam, the people living on the project appealed to the 
Government, and early in 1906 the property and rights of the irriga- 
tion company were purchased for $150,000 allotted from the reclama- 
tion fund. 

4. Description. — The Pecos River supplies the water for the lands, 
and since the low water discharge is insufficient for the area irrigated, 
two reservoirs have been constructed for storage. These reservoirs, 
Lakes McMillan and Avalon, with their dams and controlling works, 
constitute the principal engineering structures of the system. Lake 
McMillan is formed by an earth and rock-fill dam across the old river 
channel and is provided with two spillways and with concrete head 
gates. The head gates discharge into a canal cut in rock, which in 
turn discharges into the river bed a short distance below the dam. 
The head gates were constructed since the United States purchased 
the reservoir and the Reclamation Service has also reenforced the 
dam, reconstructed the spillways, and constructed a, dike within the 
reservoir to prevent the stored waters from reaching the bordering 
bed of gypsum where a large leakage had existed. Lake Avalon is 
also formed by an earth and rock-fill dam across the river bed, the 
dam being provided with a concrete and sheet pile diaphragm or 
cut-off wall. The combined head gates and spillway is a concrete 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION" OF ARID LANDS. 93 

structure, and there are two other spillways which spill over rock at 
low places in the rim of the reservoir. The dam, head gates, etc., were 
constructed by the Reclamation Service, the old dam having been 
destroyed by a flood prior to the purchase of the system by the United 
States. 

5. The main canal of the system heads at Lake Avalon, on the east 
bank of the river, and about 3 miles below it is carried across the 
Pecos by a concrete flume or aqueduct. This flume was built prior to 
the purchase, but has since been extensively repaired by the United 
States. A main lateral, called the East Canal, takes out a short dis- 
tance above the river crossing and covers the small irrigated area on 
the east bank. The main canal covers the lands west of the river, 
and after crossing the river it is called the Southern Canal. This 
canal crosses Dark Canyan in a reenforced concrete inverted siphon 
constructed by the United States. The minor structures of the dis- 
tribution system are generally of wood, but where these have needed 
repairs by the Government they have been replaced with concrete. 
The main canals and laterals have been partially enlarged and im- 
proved by the United States. The main canal is designed for a max- 
imum flow of 500 second-feet, the Southern Canal for 400, and the 
Eastern for 100 second-feet (the capacities of the Southern and East- 
ern being reduced in their lower portions) . The assistant engineer in 
local charge, however, under date of September 14, 1910, in a report 
to the supervising engineer, states: "The present safe capacity of 
our main canal (Southern) to the siphon is 350 second-feet when the 
channel is reasonably clean. We have found from the experience of 
the past three seasons that the canal can not be expected to carry 
over 200 to 250 second-feet with safety for more than 10 days at a 
time during the hot summer, on account of the channel filling up with 
aquatic growth." The lateral which supplies the so-called Black 
River system ; that is, the lands south of Black River, has been relo- 
cated since the United States took charge, the new portion being par- 
tially concrete lined, the lateral discharging its waters into the Black 
River Channel through a concrete drop. 

6. The various engineering works done by the Reclamation Service 
in the improvement of the system appear to be well designed and 
well executed. However, the entire system prior to its purchase by 
the United States, as well as now, has been characterized by exces- 
sive losses by leakage, both in the reservoirs and in the ditches. The 
dike constructed in Lake McMillan has greatly reduced the leakage 
in that reservoir, but it is still large and evidently passes through the 
gypsum beds in the bluffs on the east side, north of the dike. A large 
part of this leakage, it is believed by the Reclamation Service, reen- 
ters the river above the Avalon Dam. But by far the most impor- 
tant and injurious leakage occurs in the distribution system, espe- 
cially in certain portions of the Southern Canal and in the East 
Canal. The excessive leakage in the distribution system is believed 
to be due to the presence of gypsum in the soil, and it seems that the 
only certain remedy for it is the lining of the canals or a large por- 
tion of them with concrete. The comparatively clear water taken 
into the canals from Lake Avalon does not contain sufficient silt to 
seal the porous canal banks, most of the material carried by the river 
water being deposited in Lake McMillan. The subject of leakage is 
discussed further in the following paragraphs. 



94 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

7. Water supply. — Water is obtained from the Pecos River, under 
two appropriations, one made in 1888 by the Pecos Irrigation Co. for 
approximately 75,000 to 100,000 acre-feet, and one made in 1905 by 
the Reclamation Service for 300,000 acre-feet. During the period of 
1905-1910 the average run-off of the river at Dayton, above Lake Mc- 
Millan, was 330,000 acre-feet, with a maximum of 915,000 acre-feet 
and a minimum of 154,000 acre-feet. The two reservoirs have an 
estimated aggregate storage capacity of about 34,000 acre-feet, Lake 
McMillan having a capacity of 29,000 acre- feet and Lake Avalon of 
5,000 acre-feet. Since the hydrographs show a summer as well as a 
winter peak, the available storage is more valuable than on a stream 
with only one period of high-water run-off. A third reservoir site 
between lakes McMillan and Avalon has been under consideration 
and is described on page 277 of the Fourth Annual Report of the 
Reclamation Service. Doubt is there expressed as to the feasibility 
of constructing a reservoir at this point, owing to the presence of beds 
of gypsum and to questionable foundations at the proposed dam site. 
Pending a more complete examination, no opinion can be expressed 
by the board as to the feasibility or the cost of such a reservoir. 

8. As stated above, the leakage losses in the system are very great. 
During 1909-10 measurements showed a loss of 40 to 44 per cent 
between the gauging station at Dayton and a station just below Lake 
McMillan. Much of this loss, however, was returned to the river 
above the Avalon Dam, so that the net loss between Dayton and the 
head gates of the main canal was only about 10 per cent. Taking 10 
per cent as the net loss by leakage in the reservoirs, the average an- 
nual run-off at the Avalon head gates is approximately 300,000 acre- 
feet. 

9. Taking the combined safe capacity of the two branches of the 
main canal at 275 second- feet, the canals in their present condition 
can divert in an irrigation season of nine months only about 148,000 
acre- feet. The discharge in the year of minimum recorded run-off is 
about 140,000 acre-feet at the Avalon head gates, so that in the mini- 
mum year (with no water held over in the reservoir from previous 
years) the canal can receive at the Avalon head gates 140,000 acre- 
feet and in the average year 148,000 acre- feet. The measured losses 
in the distribution system in 1909 averaged 64 per cent of the diverted 
water. Applying this percentage to the above figures, we have for 
the delivery of water to the farms in the minimum year 50,000 acre- 
feet and in the average year 53,000 acre-feet. The lining of the main 
canals, as hereafter mentioned, will probably reduce the losses from 
all sources in the distribution system to not more than 25 per cent, 
and at the same time will increase the safe carrying capacity of the 
canals, so that, with the present storage capacity of the reservoirs, 
probably 90,000 to 100,000 acre-feet could be carried to the farms in 
the minimum year and up to 120,000 acre-feet in an average year. 

10. This, however, brings up the question of the silting up of the 
reservoirs. The capacity of Lake McMillan, and to a lesser extent 
that of Lake Avalon, is being annually reduced by the accumulation 
of silt brought down by the river. Measurements made by the Rec- 
lamation Service in 1904 show a silting up of Lake McMillan during 
the preceding 10 }^ears of 4 per cent per annum, and it seems fair to 
assume that the same rate will be maintained in the future, making ■ 
the probable liie of this reservoir about 25 years, with a material 
reduction of its usefulness long before that time. Without storage 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 95 

not more than 70,000 to 80,000 acre-feet can be diverted in years of 
low run-off. Applying the 64 per cent factor of loss in the distribu- 
tion system, there would reach the farms only 25,000 to 29,000 acre- 
feet, and applying a 25 per cent loss factor, there would reach the 
farms 52,000 to 60,000 acre-feet. The above figures indicate that 
under present conditions of canals and reservoirs sufficient water in 
an average year can be brought to the farms for the irrigation of 
20,000 acres of land, and that even in a year of low run-off there will 
not be a very serious shortage; and, further, that with a complete 
silting up of the reservoirs, sufficient water from the perennial flow 
can be delivered to the farms in years of low run-off for the irrigation 
of 20,000 acres, provided the canals are put in such condition that the 
loss in the distribution system is reduced to not more than 25 per cent. 
In other words, the area which can be irrigated from the system with 
storage capacity and unlined canals does not differ materially from 
that which can be irrigated through lined canals from the perennial 
flow without storage. It does not seem advisable, therefore, that any 
increase be made in the irrigable area unless provision is made both 
for additional storage and for reduction of losses in the distribution 
system. 

11. Lands. — In this project, as outlined and approved, there is a 
total irrigable area of 20,047 acres, all of which is private land ex- 
cept 20 acres (which has been taken up under the terms of the recla- 
mation act). All of the private land had water rights from the ap- 
propriation of 1888 and was included in the project because it had 
these rights. Not all of this area has applied for water, but about 
14,000 acres are now under irrigation, and it is expected by the local 
reclamation officers that at least 16,000 acres will be under irrigation 
next year. The entire 20,047 acres are, of course, under agreement 
to apply for water, and in the meantime the annual charges for op- 
eration and maintenance are being accumulated against them. 

12. The average elevation of the irrigable area above sea level is 
about 3,100 feet and the range of temperature is from 0° to 110° F. 
The soil is of good quality and usually quite deep on most of the 
project. In other parts there are from 2 to 3 feet of soil over gyp- 
sum, and this also is considered good land. Where the gypsum, 
however, comes more nearly to the surface the land is of little value. 
There is a considerable area of such land within reach of water, but 
it is not counted as part of the irrigable area. The average annual 
rainfall on the irrigable area is 15 inches, but farming can not be 
practiced successfully without irrigation. The duty of water is based 
on 3 acre- feet of water per acre per year, but it is not believed that 
crops will suffer if, in occasional years, only 2J acre- feet of water is 
supplied. The leakage in the distribution system referred to above 
has interfered during the past season with full supply of water to 
the lands at the time it was desired, and this leakage is injuring the 
system in another way — that is, by the swamping of lands near them. 
It is stated that before the destruction of the old Avalon Dam about 
3,000 acres of irrigable land had been injured by seepage. The dis- 
continuance of irrigation resulted in the lowering of the ground 
water level in the swamped land ; but the seepage from the canals is 
again injuring this land, and if this seepage is not materially reduced 
the area of swamped lands will become as large or larger than before. 
The prevention of this excessive leakage is, therefore, one of the most 
important reasons for lining the main canals. 



96 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

13. The growing season at Carlsbad is long and there is a wide 
diversification of crops. Among the best paying crops are alfalfa, 
cotton, grain, vegetables, and, probably, peaches. From statements 
made to the board as to the average net receipts per acre from such 
crops it seems to be quite certain that the land will readily bear the 
announced building charge of $31 per acre, as well as an additional 
assessment of $12 to $15 per acre to cover the estimated cost of im- 
proving the main canals by partially lining them with concrete. 
Statements from local sources indicate that lands not in reach of 
water are worth about $5 per acre ; while lands having water for full 
irrigation are worth from $50 to $150 per acre. 

14. Proposed extension and improvement. — The outlined project 
is stated to be 99.8 per cent completed. The area of good quality 
land which can be reached by the present distribution system is, 
however, considerably in excess of the 20,047 acres included in the 
project, and, if the water supply justified, a considerable additional 
area could be brought under water. It has been proposed by the 
water users' association that the present distribution system be im- 
proved by lining the main canals where necessary, thus greatly re- 
ducing the leakage and benefiting the present irrigable lands by 
eliminating the swamping and by preventing a shortage of water 
when the demand is at the maximum, and at the same time securing 
a sufficient saving of diverted water to provide for the irrigation of 
an additional 5,000 acres of land. The association has proposed fur- 
ther that the entire cost of this improvement, which is estimated by 
the project engineer at $250,000, be charged to the 5,000 acres to be 
brought in. The board believes that, should the water supply justify, 
the 5,000 acres so brought in would be benefited sufficiently to enable 
them to return a construction charge of $50 per acre. As stated 
above, however, the uncertainty as to the effect the silting in Lake 
McMillan will have on the amount of water which can be made avail- 
able for use during the irrigation season and the uncertainty as to 
whether the third or intermediate reservoir is feasible, renders it 
very doubtful if more than 20,000 acres can be given full irrigation 
after silting in Lake McMillan has left it with little storage capacity, 
even though the losses in the distribution system have been reduced 
to 25 per cent. 

15. The lining of the main canals with concrete, wherever found 
necessary, is nevertheless regarded by the board as a necessary im- 
provement both to conserve water and to prevent the swamping of 
land. It has been suggested that this improvement be gradually 
made, taking up first the lining of those places where the leakage is 
most serious and that it be paid for by assessments against the 20,047 
acres now in the project, the assessments to be included in collections 
for operation and maintenance and to be so distributed in the differ- 
ent years that the annual aggregate amount to be paid be not too 
burdensome. This plan would benefit the present irrigated lands at 
the expense of such lands and would require no advance of money 
from the reclamation fund, since the improvement could be carried 
on only so fast as the actual collections of the assessment would 
justify. By the water users thus assessing themselves, say at the rate 
of $2 per acre per year, they would secure, in six or seven years, free- 
dom from water logging of lands by seepage from the canals, a more 
certain supply of water at the farms, and possibly a surplus of avail- 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 97 

able water which could probably be disposed of on a water-rental 
basis to lands now in reach of the present distribution system or ex- 
tensions thereof, but not now included in the project, the returns from 
such rental partially offsetting the assessments for the improvement. 
The cutting off of the seepage losses would keep pace with the grad- 
ual loss of storage capacity in McMillan Reservoir and would pos- 
sibly more than offset this. At the end of six or seven years much 
more would be known as to the available storage capacities of the 
system, and if conditions then justified an additional area of irri- 
gable land could be permanently taken into the project. The board 
regards with favor this method of carrying on the work of lining the 
canals. It does not regard it as advisable that an allotment be made 
for this purpose from the reclamation fund. 

16. Returns to the reclamation fund. — The project was formerly 
opened by public notice, dated December 17, 1907, the building charge 
being announced at $31 per acre, and the charge for operation and 
maintenance at $0.75 per acre per year. The latter subsequently 
(public notice dated June 2, 1909) being raised to $1.35 per acre per 
year. There has been allotted to this project a total of $705,000, 
which is practically all expended. Of this $604,738.62, or, say 
$605,000, was charged to construction and the remainder to operation 
and maintenance. Taking the irrigable area at 20,000 acres, the ex- 
pected return from the building charge of $31 per acre is $620,000. 
There has been charged to operation and maintenance about 
$100,000, for which there has been collected (or accrued) to June 30, 
1910, about $33,000. The excess of operation and maintenance over 
collections therefor is due principally to the betterments paid for 
under that head. The construction charge already having been an- 
nounced, betterments such as the dike in Lake McMillan, were made 
under an agreement with the water users' association, the substance 
of which being that the cost of such betterments should not all 
be included in the collection for a single year for operation and 
maintenance, but should be held as an open account and gradually 
returned at the rate of $0.35 per acre per year. This deficit should, 
under the agreement be returned in about nine years. The above fig- 
ures indicate that this project will return its entire cost to the 
reclamation fund. 

17. Summary. — (1) This project, both as to lands and water sup- 
ply, lies entirely within the Territory of New Mexico. 

(2) Out of the 20,047 acres of irrigable land all is under private 
ownership except 20 acres. 

(3) The various engineering works done by the Reclamation Serv- 
ice in the improvement of this irrigation system appear to be well 
designed and well executed. 

(4) The system is in good condition, except for the excessive leak- 
age in the reservoirs and the distribution system, and for the reduc- 
tion in carrying capacity of the canals caused by the aquatic growths, 
conditions which are practically the same as before the purchase of 
the system. 

(5) The board believes that, under present conditions, in a year 
of average run-off sufficient water can be carried to the farms for 
the 20,047 acres now in the project, and that even in a year of low 
run-off there will not be an injurious shortage; and further that with 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 7 



98 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

a complete silting up of the reservoirs there will be sufficient water 
from the perennial now to irrigate 20,047 acres, provided the losses 
in the distribution system are reduced by lining the canals, to ap- 
proximately 25 per cent. 

(6) The estimated final cost of this project is about $605,000, all 
of which had been expended prior to June 30, 1910. 

(7) This project can reasonably be expected to return its cost to 
the Reclamation Fund. 

(8) In the opinion of the board it is not advisable to take an 
additional acreage into the project unless provision is made both for 
reduction of losses in the distribution system and for additional 
storage. 

(9) No opinion can be expressed as to the feasibility of obtaining 
additional storage until a more complete examination is made by 
the Reclamation Service of the " Third " reservoir site. 

(10) The board believes that the lining of the main canals with 
concrete, to reduce the leakage, is a necessary improvement; that 
such work should be paid for by assessments by the water users' 
association on the lands now in the project; and that no allotment 
should be made for this purpose from reclamation funds. 



Section XVII. 

HONDO PROJECT, NEW MEXICO. 

1. The board visited this project on October 16, 1910, inspecting 
the reservoir, the inlet canal and controlling works, the outlet canal 
and controlling works, a portion of the irrigable area and of the dis- 
tribution system, as well as the Hondo River in the vicinity of the 
point where the proposed canal is designed to take out from the river. 
The board also examined the area east of Roswell, irrigated by arte- 
sian water. During the day and in the evening, at a meeting in the 
rooms of the Commercial Club, informal discussions were held with 
local people interested in the project. 

2. Location. — This project is located on the lower part of the 
Hondo River, in Chaves County, N. Mex., the only town in the project 
being Roswell. A branch of the Santa Fe Railway passes through 
Roswell, giving transportation facilities to this project, the most 
distant farm unit of which is less than 12 miles from Roswell. 

3. Description. — In the development of this system the Hondo 
River is the source of the water supply. The river in this portion of 
its channel has no low-water flow, and a reservoir was therefore neces- 
sary for the storage of the flood waters of the stream. This reservoir 
is formed by six earth dikes, having an aggregate length of 16,500 
feet, constructed to close the low places in the rim of a natural depres- 
sion. A short earth-fill diversion dam with rock-protected slopes 
diverts the water from the Hondo into the inlet canal, which is pro- 
vided with concrete spillways, a silt-catch basin, and sluicing gates 
for the removal of silt. This canal discharges into the reservoir 
through a rock cut. There are two spillways for the reservoir, both 
being the natural rock at low places in the rim. ^ The water is taken 
out of the reservoir through the outlet canal, which connects the low 
places in the reservoir with the old river channel, the water passing 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



99 



through the main dike or dam in two 36-inch cast-iron pipes em- 
bedded in concrete, suitable valves and operating devices being pro- 
vided. From the river the water is diverted by three short diversion 
dams into the four main canals of the system. The minor structures, 
such as drops and turn-outs, are of concrete. The canals and laterals 
are of the usual type of unlined earth ditches. The reservoir embank- 
ments, the outlet and inlet canals, and the earth-fill diversion dam 
appear to be well designed and well constructed. The soil about the 
reservoir is in places impregnated with gypsum, the presence of which 
within the reservoir has caused considerable expense in the repair 
and maintenance of the bottom to keep it water tight. This expense 
is not yet ended, as so far there has not been sufficient water in the 
reservoir to thoroughly test the bottom. The efficiency of the struc- 
tures designed to keep silt out of the reservoir and to remove it from 
the inlet canal has not been tested because of the very limited amount 
of flood water during the two seasons since the completion of the res- 
ervoir, and the board does not believe it to be certain that these devices 
will be successful in accomplishing their object. While the diversion 
dam and the minor structures of concrete do not show the economy of 
design ordinarily noted on such works of the Reclamation Service, 
they will undoubtedly serve their purpose. 

4. Water supply. — The drainage area of the Hondo River above 
the reservoir is about 1,000 square miles, and much of it is said to be 
rough and broken, with a correspondingly large run-off. The avail- 
able records of rainfall on the watershed are given in the following 
table : 



Years. 


Fort 
Stanton, 
N. Mex. 


Roswell, 

N. Mex. 


1856 


Inches. 
16.8 
28.7 
18.8 
23.8 
13.7 
22.8 
18.0 
20.5 
23.8 
6.8 
23.5 
12.6 
20.2 
16.8 
18.0 
14.5 
11.9 
14.7 
11.3 
15.8 
12.1 
14.5 


Inches. 


1857 




1858 




1859 




I860 




1869 




1870 




1871 




1872 




1882 




1884 




1885 




1886 




1887 




1888 




1889 




1890 




1891 




1892.. 




1893 




1894 




1S95 


16.3 


1896 


13.2 


1897 


16.4 
22.5 
14.4 
17.8 
18.1 
9.9 
9.5 
16.9 
22.6 
17.0 
17.2 
13.8 
11.7 


15.3 


1898 


21.0 


1899 


16.6 


1900 


19.8 


1901 


17.9 


1902 


16.6 


1903 


8.0 


1904 


14.1 


1905 


19.3 


1906 


15.3 


1907 


13.5 


1908 


9.6 


1909 


7.7 







Note.— No records available for missing years. 



100 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Fort Stanton is on the Bonito Branch of the Hondo, at an elevation 
above sea level of about 6,000 feet, and Roswell is below the reservoir 
near the mouth of the Hondo, at an elevation above sea level of about 
3,700 feet. It is not known to what extent these records are repre- 
sentative of the rainfall throughout the Hondo watershed. 

5. Prior to 1869 the Hondo Eiver had a perennial flow through 
its entire course, but due to increased use for agricultural purposes 
in its upper reaches the lower portion of the Hondo became dry ex- 
cept during floods. This was the situation at the time the project 
was first investigated by the Reclamation Service. No discharge 
measurements had been made and the only evidence as to the amount 
of run-off lay in the frequent flooding of the town of Roswell. The 
natural channel at this point is hardly more than 20 feet wide and 
from 6 to 10 feet deep, and its carrying capacity is small. 

6. Based on this evidence, the record of rainfall at Fort Stanton, 
and the character of the topography of the watershed, the project 
was undertaken in 1904, and the reservoir constructed with an avail- 
able capacity of 40,000 acre-feet. It was completed in August, 1906. 
Since that date the run-off has not been sufficient to permit the storage 
of any water. In 1907 a small quantity was furnished from the 
flood flow of the river directly to a small portion of the land under 
the project. In 1908, 1,753 acre-feet were so furnished ; in 1909, 731 
acre-feet; and in 1910 a small amount. 

7. With the purchase of 800 acres of land for reservoir purposes, 
the water rights appurtenant thereto were acquired, the date of the 
appropriation being 1887 or 1888. In January, 1906, an additional 
filing for 80,000 acre- feet was made by the Reclamation Service. 
There are numerous other water rights on this stream, most of which 
antedate those of the Reclamation Service. Such of these rights as 
pertain to land below the storage reservoir and within the limits of 
the project are to be merged with those of the United States, under 
the terms of the contracts between the United States and the Hondo 
Water Users' Association. Much of the flow of this river is used in 
its upper reaches under appropriations which also antedate those of 
the United States. No adjudication of the water rights on the Hondo 
or its tributaries has yet been made, though suit with this object in 
view is now pending in the Territorial courts. 

8. At a point in the river about where the Diamond "A" gauging 
station was located there was observed by the board a considerable 
flow of water which was lost by seepage into the bed of the river, the 
bed at the diversion dam being dry. This loss was measured by the 
Territorial engineer and found to be, for the 12 months from May 1, 
1908, to April 30, 1909, about 10,000 acre-feet, equivalent to an aver- 
age discharge of about 14 second- feet. In his report on this subject 
he states that this loss is at times as much as 33 second-feet. The 
suggestion to divert this water into the reservoir through a concrete- 
lined canal will be considered under the head of " Betterments." In 
1909 an effort was made by the residents of the upper valley to file on 
this water which is now going to waste. This attempted appropria- 
tion has been temporarily held up by the Territorial engineer, but it 
is urged by the Hondo Water Users' Association that unless steps be 
taken by the United States to use it beneficially it will be awarded to 
others. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 101 

9. The data at hand as to the water supply for this project, as set 
forth above, is not sufficient to justify the board in drawing any con- 
clusions as to whether or not, under normal conditions, there will be 
a sufficient supply of water for the irrigation of the 10,000 acres in 
the project. 

10. There are included in this project 10,000 acres, of which all is 
under private ownership except 240 acres of public land. In the 
Eighth Annual Eeport of the Reclamation Service it is stated " Tem- 
porary water-rental contracts were entered into with individuals 
during 1908, and about 1,200 acres were served with an inadequate 
supply of water. No water has been available in 1909. Some alfalfa, 
head grains, and fruit trees are under cultivation and are being main- 
tained with great trouble." It is understood that the conditions, in 
1910 are about the same as in 1909. 

11. The average elevation of the irrigable area above sea level is 
about 3,750 feet, and the range of temperature is from 0° to 100° F. 
The average rainfall on the lands is about 16 inches, but this is not 
distributed throughout the year so as to permit successful dry farm- 
ing. The duty of water is figured at 2J feet delivered on the farm. 
The lands under this project are of good quality, the soil being deep 
and varying from sandy loam to adobe. The land requires very little 
work to put it under irrigation and cultivation, and it is believed that 
the slopes are such as to insure good drainage. The growing season 
is long. The principal crops grown in this vicinity are alfalfa, fruits, 
head grains, etc. The returns from the irrigated lands in the arte- 
sian district adjoining Roswell on the east, as well as the values of 
these lands, indicate that with a full supply of water the lands in the 
Hondo project would readily bear a construction charge of $44 to $50 
per acre. 

12. Cost. — There has been allotted to this project to date $359,000, 
of which over $349,000 was expended prior to June 30, 1910. Of this 
amount, $33,347.72, or 10 per cent, was for field engineering and su- 
perintendence ; $3,900.52, or 1 per cent, for clerical services on the 
project; and $12,280.55, or 3.6 per cent, for the Washington and Chi- 
cago offices, expert engineering, etc. The balance, it is expected, will 
be exhausted by the end of 1910. About $2,900 has been collected 
from the sale of such water as was available, so that by the end of the 
year the net investment of the United States will be approximately 
$356,000. The project was completed by May, 1907, but, because of 
the lack of water, it has not yet been declared open and no building 
charge has been announced. The betterments referred to below are 
roughly estimated to cost $60,000. Adding this to the net cost, we 
have $416,000, to which should be added, say, $24,000, to provide for 
operation and maintenance until the project is self-supporting, and 
for contingencies. The total of these is $440,000, which for 10,000 
acres will give a building charge of $44 per acre. 

13. Proposed betterments. — It has been suggested that an imper- 
vious canal of approximately 60 second-feet capacity be constructed 
connecting the inlet canal with the Hondo at or near the Diamond 
"A" gauging station. Such a canal would be about 12 miles long, and 
a short diversion dam in the Hondo would also be required to divert 
water into it. The cost of this betterment has been roughly esti- 
mated by the project engineer at $60,000. The purpose of this canal is 
to bring down to the reservoir the water now lost by seepage into the 



102 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

bed of the Hondo which, in the 12 months beginning with May, 1908, 
was found to be. about 10,000 acre-feet. If the adjudication by the 
courts indicates that this amount of water can be obtained annually, 
the water so saved and brought down to the project lands will prob- 
ably serve to keep alive and render more or less productive the 
alfalfa fields and orchards now on the project lands. If this water 
be sold to these lands at a fixed price per acre-foot, it will produce a 
return probably more than sufficient to pay for the maintenance of 
the system while it is awaiting a formal opening. In case the rain- 
fall in the watershed of the Hondo shall increase sufficiently to jus- 
tify the opening of the project, this canal will still be useful, as the 
water saved by it will about make up for evaporation loss in the 
reservoir, and as this water, in years of shortage, may be sufficient 
to keep alive the larger acreage of perennial crops which may then 
be on the project. The merit of the suggested betterment seems to 
rest chiefly, therefore, on whether approximately 8,000 to 10,000 
acre-feet can be secured after all prior rights (as determined by the 
adjudication now under way) are satisfied. The board considers 
favorably such a betterment under the conditions cited as to amount 
of water expected to be saved and as to cost. An argument against 
this expenditure is, that should it be necessary to abandon the project 
altogether the amount of money lost to the United States will be 
increased by about $60,000. For this reason the board believes that 
as a prior condition to the allotment of money for this work the land- 
owners be required to make an additional contract with the Govern- 
ment to insure the return of this expenditure whether or not condi- 
tions justify the opening of the project as originally outlined. If 
the landowners prefer to construct this canal at their own expense 
rather than to enter into the additional contract with the Government, 
the board believes that they should be permitted to do so, under such 
conditions as will protect the rights of the entire body of owners 
under the project as well as those of the United States. 

14. Summary. — (1) This project, both as to the lands and the 
water supply, lies entirely within the Territory of New Mexico. 

(2) All of the irrigable land in the project is private land except 
2.4 per cent. 

(3) In general the engineering structures appear to be well de- 
signed and well executed, but the board does not believe it to be cer- 
tain that the devices for handling the silt problem will be successful. 

(4) At the time the project was started the data as to water supply 
appear to have been insufficient to warrant the undertaking, and 
such data are not now sufficient to justify the board in drawing con- 
clusions as to whether or not under normal rainfall conditions there 
will be sufficient water for the irrigation of the 10,000 acres in the 
project. 

(5) The returns from the irrigated lands in the artesian district 
adjoining this project, as well as the values of these lands, indicate 
that with a full water supply the lands in the Hondo project would 
readily bear a construction charge of $44 to $50 per acre. 

(6) The construction of a small concrete-lined canal from the 
inlet canal to the river at a point above the Diamond "A" gauging 
station to save the water now lost by seepage is regarded by the board 
as a desirable betterment, provided further examination, after the 
water rights have been adjudicated by the courts, indicates that 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 103 

approximately 10,000 acre- feet can be saved thereby for use on the 
lands of the project and that the cost of this additional work will not 
exceed $60,000 to $70,000. Under such conditions it is recommended by 
the board that an allotment be made for this work, provided the land- 
owners will enter into an additional contract with the United States 
to insure the return of such an allotment independently of the success 
or nonsuccess of the project as originally outlined. 

(7) Pending the court adjudication, should the landowners prefer 
to make this improvement at their own expense, the board recom- 
mends that they be permitted to do so under such conditions as will 
protect the rights of the entire body of landowners as well as those 
of the United States. 

(8) The estimated final cost of this project is about $359,000, of 
which over $349,000 was expended prior to June 30, 1910. 



Section XVIII. 

RIO GRANDE PROJECT, NEW MEXICO-TEXAS. 

1. This project was inspected by the board on October 11, 12, and 
13, public hearings being held at El Paso, Tex., and Las Cruces, 
N. Mex. 

2. Location. — Part of the project lies in New Mexico and part in 
Texas; and it includes the furnishing of water to the Republic of 
Mexico. It is therefore international as well as interstate in char- 
acter. 

3. Transportation facilities are afforded by the Atchison, Topeka 
& Santa Fe, El Paso & Southwestern, Southern Pacific, and Texas 
& Pacific Railroads. The scope of the project and its relation to 
the above railroads is shown on the accompanying map. 

4. Description. — The project as outlined consists of a storage reser- 
voir on the Rio Grande, about 9 miles from the town of Engle, with 
a capacity of 2,368,490 acre- feet, sufficient to fully control the run-off 
of the river at this point; four diversion dams lower down in the 
river; and four distributing systems heading at these dams and cov- 
ering the irrigable lands in the United States. 

5. The international features of the project are covered by a treaty, 
dated May 21, 1906, between the United States and Mexico, which 
provides that upon completion of the project the United States shall 
deliver to Mexico a total of 60,000 acre-feet of water annually in the 
bed of the Rio Grande at the headworks of the existing Mexican canal 
above the city of Juarez, Mex. In return the Mexican Government 
waives all of its claims to water in the Rio Grande above the town of 
Fort Quitman, Tex., and all claims for past damages from shortage 
of water. In 1907 Congress appropriated $1,000,000 toward the con- 
struction of the necessary storage dam and provided that — 

The balance of the cost of said irrigation project over and above the amount 
herein appropriated shall be allotted by the Secretary of the Interior as may be 
needed and as may be available from time to time from the reclamation 
fund, etc. 

6. One of the diversion dams, that at the head of the Mesilla 
Valley, in New Mexico, has been built, together with 6 miles of main 



104 FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

canal leading from it. The dam is of rubble concrete, partly reen- 
forced. and rests on a pile foundation. Its length is 600 feet and its 
height 9 feet, as measured from a point 4 feet below the original 
stream bed. The top which is 3 feet and the bottom width 30 feet, of 
which 24 feet is in the form of an apron, 2 feet thick. It is built on 
a bed of gravel, 16 to 20 feet thick, underlaid with clay. Two rows 
of triple-lap sheet piling, one row under each toe, prevents under- 
flow. Concrete headworks at the left abutment, founded on rock, 
provide for the diversion of 500 second- feet. This dam is well 
built and suitable for the purpose intended. 

7. Reservoir sites on this river were first surveyed in 1889, and 
since that date a number of different projects for storing and utilizing 
its flood waters have been advocated. Comparative studies of these 
projects, supplemented by additional surveys and investigations in 
1903 and 1904, led to the selection of the Engle site as offering the 
greatest number of advantages and the fewest disadvantages. It is 
the only proposed reservoir large enough to utilize the entire flow 
of the drainage basin; it does not submerge any railroads nor any 
area of valuable valley lands; it is sufficiently low in the basin to 
intercept practically all the water and sufficiently high to command 
enough land for the available water supply. 

8. The reservoir is to be formed by the construction of a masonry 
dam near Elephant Butte. This reservoir when full will be 40 miles 
long and have an area of 40,000 acres. Ownership of the area to be 
submerged has been acquired by condemnation and a construction 
railroad is being graded from Engle to the dam site, but no work 
of a permanent character has been done on the dam. A limited 
number of borings have been made at the dam site and preliminary 
designs of the dam prepared. These designs contemplate a straight 
concrete dam of gravity section faced with concrete blocks. The 
dam will be 1,255 feet long on top, 260 feet high above foundation, 
206 feet high above river bed, 200 feet thick at maximum point, and 
will have a maximum pressure on foundations of 16.27 tons per 
square foot. 

9. The dam is to be founded on sandstone rock, which preliminary 
borings in 1903 and 1904 showed at depths below the surface rang- 
ing from 50 to 65 feet. The abutments are of similar material more 
or less shattered and seamy on the surface. Additional wash" and 
diamond drill borings are now being made to develop more exactly 
the contour of the rock foundations. 

10. From the data available the proposed dam appears to be feasi- 
ble, but further information is desirable concerning the foundations 
and abutments, the crushing strength of the sandstone, and the crush- 
ing strength of concrete made from the available materials. 

11. The large capacity of the reservoir is intended mainly for the 
solution of the sediment problem, which is a difficult and serious 
obstacle to the utilization of the flood waters of this river. Obser- 
vations of the silt-bearing capacity of this stream have been made 
since 1897 under the supervision of the United States consulting 
engineer of the International Boundary Commission. For the first 
part of this period, 1897-1904, the observations indicated that silt 
formed 1.8 per cent of the total discharge. Since 1904, the measure- 
ments show an average of 1.2 per cent. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 105 

12. If the higher percentage is assumed, together with an average 
annual run-off of 1,000,000 acre-feet, the reservoir capacity would 
diminish at the rate of 18,000 acre-feet a year. Sixty-five years 
would, therefore, be required to half fill the reservoir and until that 
condition exists its usefulness for storage and regulation would still 
be large. 

13. By the construction of silt barriers above the reservoir, either 
in the main river or in some of the principal silt-bearing tributaries, 
the life of the reservoir can be materially extended, but the need for 
such auxiliary structures is so remote that the burden of erecting 
them can equitably be left to the future. 

14. Water supply. — The drainage area above the reservoir dam is 
30,000 square miles and the average annual run-off at this point 
since 1895 has been about 1,000,000 acre-feet. The run-off is very 
irregular, varying from a minimum of 200,000 acre-feet in 1902 to 
a maximum of over 2,000,000 in 1897. The flow during the year is 
also very irregular, varying from no flow to a maximum of 30,000 
second-feet. Storage and regulation are therefore essential features 
of the project. 

15. The Reclamation Service has prepared service tables for the 
proposed Engle Reservoir covering the period 1895 to 1909. One 
of these tables is based upon an annual use of water for irrigation 
of 750,000 acre-feet after 1896 and an annual evaporation on the 
reservoir of 7.07 feet. The other is based upon an annual use of 
water for irrigation of 800,000 acre-feet after 1896 and evaporation 
on the reservoir of 5 feet. Both tables are based upon a deposit of 
silt in the reservoir equal to 1.8 per cent of the inflow and upon a 
variable demand for water during the irrigation season. The con- 
tents of the reservoir at the beginning of each month of the period 
is increased by the inflow and decreased by use, evaporation, and 
overflow for the month to get the contents at the beginning of the 
next month. The tabulated results show that with an assumed use of 
750,000 acre-feet and an evaporation loss of 7.07 feet there would 
have been a deficiency in 1903 of 5 per cent, and in 1901 of 18 per cent, 
with no deficiencies in other years. With an assumed use of 800,000 
acre-feet and an evaporation loss of 5 feet there would have been 
a deficiency in 1903 of less than 8 per cent, and in 1901 of 25 per 
cent, with no deficiencies in other years. 

16. "As recent observations in the Imperial Valley, Cal., and in 
Salt River Valley, Ariz., indicate that the evaporation loss on large 
bodies of water in this part of the United States is more nearly 
5 feet than 7 feet, there seems to be an assured annual supply of 
750,000 to 800,000 acre-feet provided the flow of the river at this 
point is not decreased by an increased use above this point and pro- 
vided the existing rights below the reservoir are merged with those 
of the United States. The latter condition has practically been met, 
as the owners of nearly all the land now being served by private 
ditches have signified their assent by joining the water users' asso- 
ciation. 

17. To guard against increased use of water in the upper reaches of 
the Rio Grande, particularly in the San Luis Valley, Colo., the De- 
partment of the Interior has prohibited the acquisition by residents of 
this valley of reservoir sites upon Federal lands. Without such reser- 
voirs to store flood waters no increased use is probable. The question 



106 FUND FOE KECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

of limiting the use of Rio Grande water in Colorado in the manner 
above indicated will be referred to hereafter. 

18. The duty of water is 3 acre-feet per acre measured at the farm. 
Allowing for a 20 per cent loss in the distribution system, there will be 
required for diversion to lands in the United States 581,250 acre-feet, 
to which must be added the 60,000 acre-feet required by treaty to be 
delivered to Mexico, making a total of 641,250 acre-feet. In addition 
to losses in the distribution system there will be losses in transit be- 
tween the reservoir and the diversion dams. With a 20 per cent allow- 
ance for this loss, approximately 800,000 acre- feet of reservoir water 
would be required. The losses in transit, however, will be partly oif- 
set by the return seepage in upper parts of the valley, which will 
be available for diversion lower down. It, therefore, appears that the 
available supply accords closely with the demand. 

19. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 3,700 feet 
above sea level and the average annual rainfall 9-J inches. The total 
area in the project is 155,000 acres, of which approximately 12,000 acres 
are public land subject to the reclamation act; 110,000 acres lie in New 
Mexico, and 45,000 acres in Texas. All of the public land is in New 
Mexico. 

20. The soil is good, and is described as sandy loam and fertile 
alluvium. Much of it has been irrigated in the past, but during the 
last 20 years the area cultivated has gradually decreased from about 
100,000 acres to 50,000 acres with an insufficient water supply for even 
the present area. This decrease in acreage is due to decrease in the 
flow of the river and this in turn is alleged to be due to increased use 
of the waters of the Rio Grande in San Luis Valley, Colo. 

21. Three of the private ditches in the Mesilla Valley are receiving 
water through the Leasburg Canal constructed by the Reclamation 
Service. Pending completion of the project the deliveries are made 
on a rental basis. The Franklin Canal, serving land below El Paso, 
is owned by an English company, but the El Paso Water Users' Asso- 
ciation holds it under lease and has an option for its purchase. 

22. These canals, as well as other private canals in the area covered 
by the Rio Grande project, are to be absorbed and become a part of the 
project, the existing water rights being merged with those of the 
United States. 

23. The principal products are alfalfa, corn, wheat, melons, fruits, 
and vegetables, and with sufficient water it is claimed that net returns 
of $50 an acre can be secured. 

24. Before the Rio Grande project was considered, unimproved ag- 
ricultural land in this valley had an average value of from $5 to $10 
per acre, and improved land $35 to $50 per acre. With an assured 
water supply it is estimated that the value of the land will be $200 
to $300 per acre. 

25. Cost. — The expenditures on this project to June 30, 1910, were : 

General project (including plant) $463,960 

Leasburg unit . 201, 079 



665, 039 

26. The estimated cost of completion is $9,000,000. This estimate, 
as presented to the board, is very general in its terms, the details of 
the project not having been determined upon. It includes $1,000,000 
for electrical development, but until more detailed surveys are made 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 107 

and the amount of power that can be developed at different points is 
determined no opinion can be expressed as to the advisability of 
this part of the expenditure. 

27. Assuming the total cost at $9,665,000, and deducting $1,000,000, 
the amount appropriated by the United States to cover the cost of 
meeting its treaty obligations with Mexico, there will remain 
$8,665,000 to be paid by the owners of the 155,000 acres in the project, 
equivalent to $56 an acre. ""The character of the soil and its produc- 
tiveness when irrigated are such that the land can bear this charge. 

28. Two water users' associations have been organized on this 
project, and the par value of the stock in each is $40 per acre. Pro- 
vision is made in the by-laws for increasing the par value of the stock 
if the building charge per acre exceeds this amount. As this seems 
probable and as the liability of the land for an amount greater than 
the par value of the stock is questionable, the water users' associa- 
tions should be required to increase the par value of the stock to 
not less than $56. 

29. Comments. — As stated under the heading " Water supply," it 
has been thought necessary in the interest of this project to interfere 
with the extension of irrigation in the San Luis Valley, Colo., near 
the source of the Rio Grande, by prohibiting the acquisition, under 
the laws of the United States, of reservoir sites upon Federal lands 
in this valley. 

30. The people of San Luis Valley regard this as an unnecessary 
interference with their rights and oppose the construction of the 
Engle Reservoir on the following grounds : 

(1) That a large part of the land to be reclaimed lies in Texas, in 
which State the Federal Government owns no land ; that Congress is 
without authority to provide for the reclamation of any land within 
a State in which the Government does not own any land, and that, 
therefore, the act of Congress extending the reclamation act to Texas 
is unconstitutional. 

(2) That the proposed Engle Reservoir is needlessly large and 
that its construction involves a waste of public funds. 

(3) That it is not an economic proposition in view of the rate at 
which it will be filled with sediment. 

(4) That the irrigable land under consideration can be reclaimed 
by the maintenance of a uniform flow in the Rio Grande to be se- 
cured by the construction of several small and comparatively inex- 
pensive reservoirs at different points along the river. 

(5) That the most effectual way of securing uniformity in flow 
is by encouraging irrigation in the upper reaches. 

31. In reference to these objections it may be said : 

(1) That this project is international as well as interstate in char- 
acter; that it has been specifically sanctioned by Congress; and that 
there is no reason to assume that Congress is without power to fulfill 
its treaty obligations, even though incidental benefits are conferred 
upon land in private ownership. 

(2) That a study of the duty of the reservoir, assuming it to have 
been built in 1895, shows it to be no larger than is necessary for the 
irrigation of the lands within the project. 

(3) That the rate of silting up will probably be less than that as- 
sumed by the Reclamation Service, and that by the construction of 
silt barriers above the reservoir its life can be materially extended. 



108 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(4) That an equivalent amount of storage divided among a num- 
ber of small reservoirs would probably cost more per acre- foot than 
storage in Engle Reservoir. 

(5) That while irrigation does tend toward uniformity of flow, 
experience in a number of irrigated regions, indicates that the re- 
turn flow is only a small percentage of the amount diverted. 

32. The flow of the Rio Grande at El Paso during the irrigating 
season has gradually decreased during the past 20 years, with a cor- 
responding reduction in the acreage irrigated in this vicinity from 
this source, while the acreage irrigated in the San Luis Valley from 
the Rio Grande has greatly increased. The proposed project will re- 
store and improve former conditions in the valleys to be reclaimed 
without damage to areas now being irrigated in San Luis Valley, 
though to insure its success large additional developments in the San 
Luis Valley are prevented. The board does not believe that the 
objections of the San Luis Valley people are of sufficient weight to 
warrant a change in the plans of the Rio Grande project. 

33. Summary. — (1) The Rio Grande project involves the reclama- 
tion of 155,000 acres of land in the United States, of which 12,000 
acres are public land, subject to the reclamation act. 

(2) It provides for delivering water to Mexico in fulfillment of 
treaty obligations. 

(3) It is interstate as well as international in character. 

(4) The water supply is sufficient for the purpose. 

(5) The estimated total cost is $9,665,000, of which $665,000 has 
been expended. 

(6) It is feasible from an engineering and economic standpoint, 
and the land can bear the probable construction charge of $56. 

(7) The water users' association should be required to increase the 
par value of its stock to not less than $56. 

(8) Assuming such action by the water users' association, the 
project should be completed. 

(9) The following allotments are recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $1,855,000 

From the loan 4, 500, 000 

Total 6, 355, 000 



Section XIX. 

MISSOURI RIVER PUMPING UNITS, NORTH DAKOTA. 

1. The board visited these projects on August 17, 1910, inspecting 
the power station, the coal mine, the floating and secondary pump- 
ing plants, the settling basins, and a large part of the ditches and 
the irrigible lands. Public hearings were held on the same day at 
Buford and at Williston. 

2. Unity of projects. — These projects are carried in the reclamation 
records as two separate projects under the names of the Buford-Tren- 
ton and the Williston, and the water users under each of these units 
are organized into a water users' association, with each of which the 
Reclamation Service has made a contract for the irrigation of lands 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 109 

owned by the stockholders. Physically, however, these projects con- 
stitute two units of a single project, and in this report are so con- 
sidered. 

3. Location. — This project is located on the north bank of the Mis- 
souri River, just below the mouth of the Yellowstone, and lies 
entirely within Williams County, N. Dak. The Great Northern Rail- 
way runs through the project and gives it good transportation facili- 
ties, the principal stations being Williston, Buford, and Trenton. 

4. Description. — This is a pumping project, the water being lifted 
by electrically operated pumps. For the generation of electricity 
there is a central power plant near Williston from which high-voltage 
transmission lines carry the current to the several pumping plants. 
The present power installation is sufficient only for such pumps as 
are now installed, but additions can readily be made to the power 
plant when required. The power house is located at the mine from 
which fuel is obtained. The fuel is lignite, which is burned in special 
furnaces. The United States owns the mine, the cost of the fuel to 
the project being only the cost of mining. 

5. The Buford-Trenton unit in its present condition includes a 
pumping plant mounted on a barge in the Missouri River, forcing 
water through steel pipes into a settling basin located near Buford. 
On the barge are mounted four electrically driven pumps having a 
combined capacity of 120 second-feet for a 30-foot lift. At the 
settling basin there is located a secondary pumping plant in which 
are installed four electric pumps having a combined capacity of 64 
second-feet. These force the water through a reenforced-concrete 
pipe into the high-line canal, having an elevation of 50 feet above 
the settling basin. This high-line canal has a capacity of 60 second- 
feet at its head, and is designated to supply water for the higher 
lands in this unit, including 4,0501 acres already within reach of 
water and 1,375 acres under the proposed extension of the canal. 
From the settling basin a low-line canal is projected, to have at its 
head a capacity of 80 second-feet, for the purpose of supplying water 
to about 6,600 acres on the Buford Flats. From the high-line and 
low-line canals laterals will distribute water to the farms. This unit, 
it is stated, is 36 per cent complete. As originally outlined, this unit 
included an area of about 3,000 acres on the Trenton Flat, which was 
to be supplied with water by a separate floating pumping outfit to 
be located near Trenton. Apparently, however, this area is no longer 
considered part of the unit. 

6. The Williston unit in its present condition includes a pumping 
plant, mounted on a barge in the Missouri River, to force water 
through steel pipes into a large settling basin located near Williston. 
On the barge are mounted three electrically driven pumps, having a 
combined capacity of 90 second-feet for a 30-foot lift. From the set- 
tling basin the water flows to the power house through the main, or 
"A " canal, having an initial capacity of 100 second-feet. One mile 
from the river is pumping station No. 2, which supplies the " B " 
canal. It contains two electrically driven pumps with a combined 
capacity of 35 second-feet under a 28-foot lift. About 1 mile west 
on the " B " canal pumping station No. 4 is located, in which one 
electric pump lifts 20 second-feet into the " C " canal, an additional 
height of 28 feet. At the power house are two sets of steam-driven 



110 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

pumps. One set has a lift of 56 feet and a capacity of 40 second-feet, 
discharging into the " E " canal, which extends about 7 miles up 
the Little Muddy Valley. The other set has a lift of 28 feet and a 
capacity of 15 second-feet and supplies the "D" canal. From the 
"A," " B," " C," and " D " canals water is supplied to the lands 
through laterals, the area now in reach of water being 8,047 acres. 
As at present outlined the Williston unit includes in addition the 
irrigation of the west and east bottoms, an aggregate area of 3,100 
acres. The irrigation of these bottoms will require the installation 
of two more small floating pumping outfits, each of which will pump 
into a settling basin, from which laterals will carry water to the lands. 
The Williston unit is stated to be 64 per cent complete. This unit 
originally was intended to include other irrigable lands in the Little 
Muddy Valley, as well as lands west of Williston. Apparently, how- 
ever, this work is no longer considered part of the unit. 

7. The barges for the floating pump plants and the houses thereon 
are of wood. Some of the minor structures on the canals and laterals 
are of wood, others of concrete. Concrete enters largely into the con- 
struction of the power house and the pumping plants. The examina- 
tion of this project by the board showed well-designed and well-con- 
structed power plant, pumping plants, pressure pipes, and settling 
basins ; and the canals and laterals, with the minor structures thereon, 
seem generally to be good. 

8. Water supply. — The water supply for this project depends alto- 
gether on the capacity of the pumping plant, since there is always 
an ample supply in the river. Low water in the river, however, 
affects the capacity of the pumps by increasing the head against 
which the floating pumping units must operate. The average head is 
28 feet. The pumping units were designed to supply 2 acre-feet of 
water per acre when working continuously for a period of 80 days. 
It appears, however, that the rated capacity of the pumping units as 
installed is somewhat short of this, and that to supply the proposed 
quantity of water the pumps must be operated practically continu- 
ously throughout the irrigation season of about 120 days. The sup- 
plying of water at this uniform rate makes necessary equal uni- 
formity in its use. The board does not believe that this condition of 
uniform use, day and night, throughout the season can be fulfilled 
in practice, and that the margin for contingencies is small. The need 
for water on the irrigated land is not the same throughout the season, 
and while the irrigators can come much nearer to uniformity in use of 
water than they now think possible, it seems to be very probable that 
at certain times during the irrigation season some of the crops will 
suffer for lack of water. On the other hand, it should be stated that 
the lands of this project lie in the semiarid belt, the average annual 
rainfall being 15 inches, and that 1J acre-feet of pumped water per 
acre will probably suffice except for extremely dry seasons. It will 
be during such very dry seasons, however, when the failure to supply 
water when actually needed will be most severely felt. Additional 
pumping capacity can readily be supplied, but only at an additional 
expense to the lands., 

9. Lands. — The approved plans, as stated by the supervising 
engineer, provides for the irrigation of about 12,035 acres in the 
Buford-Trenton unit and about 11,147 acres in the Williston unit. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. Ill 

Of the total area of 23,182 acres, only about 2,400 acres are public 
land subject to the reclamation act. 

10. Both subdivisons have been partially opened by public notice, 
the area opened in the Buford-Trenton unit being 4,060 and in the 
Williston unit being 8,047 acres. The farm unit for private lands is 
160 acres and for public land 80 acres. The announced building cost 
is $38 per acre, with an operation and maintenance charge of $0.70 
per acre per }^ear and $0.50 additional for each acre-foot of water sup- 
plied to the lands, making a total of $1.70 for operation and mainte- 
nance for 2 acre-feet supplied. So far only 2,968 acres in the Buford- 
Trenton and 6,253 acres in the Williston have made application for 
water, while the area actually irrigated in 1910 was only 400 acres in 
the former and 2,000 acres in the latter. 

11. The average elevation is 1,900 feet above sea level. This pro- 
ject is in the semiarid belt and in some years will produce good crops 
without irrigation. This is believed to be partly responsible for the 
small use made by the farmers of the irrigation water, the year 1909 
being a wet year and the pumped water not being needed. The pres- 
ent year, however, has been very dry and the crops on the nonirrigated 
lands were, in general, failures. During normal years comparison 
between the crop returns on irrigated and nonirrigated lands shows a 
substantial increase in yield due to irrigation. The higher lands of 
the project do not require clearing before being put under cultivation, 
while on much of the bottom land considerable clearing is necessary. 
In the Williston unit some of the higher lands are rolling and, there- 
fore, are difficult to prepare for irrigation. 

12. The soil is generally of good quality, ranging from sandy loam 
to a heavy clay loam. The principal crops are the small grains, but 
alfalfa can be grown with success, as probably, also can sugar beets. 
Due to the high altitude the growing season is short, but two and 
often three cuttings of alfalfa can be obtained. 

13. Owners of lands under the ditches who have not perfected their 
water-right applications nor made the required payments will, at the 
beginning of the irrigation season of 1911, be in arrears for four 
installments of the building charge and four annual assessments of 
the fixed charge for operation and maintenance, a total of $18 per 
acre. Under the terms of the reclamation act, these lands are subject 
to the cancellation of the water application for private land and of the 
entry of the land if it is public ; but in the event that the land office 
does not enforce this cancellation these lands can obtain water for the 
season of 1911 only by the prior payment of $13.50 per acre. The 
farmers may be at fault for this condition, but it does not seem prob- 
able that many of them can make this payment. 

14. There is general complaint that the annual charge per acre 
amounting to $5.50 (including $3.80 for construction costs, $0.70 fixed 
charge for operation and maintenance, and $1 for 2 acre-feet of 
water) is more than the land will bear. It appears, however, that, 
with good methods of farming, the difference in yield per acre on 
irrigated and nonirrigated land is, in an average year, in value con- 
siderably more than $5.50 per acre, while in very dry years like the 
present, it is a question of a crop or no crop. For this reason the 
board believes that, while a charge of $5.50 may in many cases be 
burdensome, the lands generally will bear this charge provided the 
farmer can start in anew without the handicap of a requirement for 



112 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 

an immediate payment of the accumulated back charges. There is 
also general complaint from the owners that the annual charges are 
more than twice what had been promised them ; the statement being 
that they were promised that the annual charge per acre, Inclusive 
of both construction and operation and maintenance, would not be 
over $2 to $2.50. The par value of the stock of the water users' 
association is $20 for the Buford-Trenton and $24 for the Williston. 

15. The result of the dissatisfaction is that the farmers seem to 
have no disposition to apply for the water. They are insistent that 
some modification be made in their contract, either to extend to 20 
years the period in which construction charges are to be paid, to 
arrange for graduated payments, or to waive temporarily the pay- 
ment of all unpaid back charges and to arrange for collection of the 
first annual installment of the building charge after the end of the 
next crop year. The owners of private land within the proposed ex- 
tensions very generally desire to be released from their agreement 
with the Government. The board believes that the conditions exist- 
ing in this project make it desirable that some modification be made 
in the present requirements which would permit the farmers to obtain 
one irrigated crop prior to any demand for back charges, or which 
would provide for a system of graduated payments. 

16. Operation and maintenance. — The cost of operation and main- 
tenance is claimed by the farmers to be unnecessarily expensive ; but 
since the plant is operated for such a small area, and that area re- 
quiring the highest pumping lifts, the operation is necessarily ex- 
pensive. The shortness of the irrigation season also has a tendency 
to make cost of operation high, since the plant must be cared for dur- 
ing the nonirrigation season, and since, when the season opens, a 
large force of temporary employees has to be engaged not only for 
the power and pump plants but also for the coal mine and for the 
ditches. Such temporary employees must be paid at higher rates 
than would permanent employees, and they are not as efficient. The 
board does not see how the cost of operation and maintenance can be 
materially reduced, except from the natural result of more lands 
using the water, and especially from the farmers being educated to 
use the water in rotation, according to an arranged schedule, instead 
of all demanding water at one time and thus requiring the maximum 
output occasionally during the season with intervals between when 
little water is used. 

IT. Costs. — There has been allotted to this project to date $963,000, 
of which there was expended to June 30, 1910, $806,465.71 for con- 
struction and $98,098.89 for operation and maintenance. There was 
due the General Electric Co., as balance on a contract, $10,326. Since 
only $3,978.85 was collected for operation and maintenance, there was 
a deficit under that head of $94,120.04. The following table shows 
the probable financial condition of this project on December 31, 1910: 

Construction cost to June 30, 1910 $806, 465. 71 

Balance due on contract 10, 326. 00 

Deficit on operation and maintenance to June 30, 1910 94, 120. 04 

Probable deficit on operation and maintenance for remainder of 

1910 14, 088. 25 

Total cost to United States to Dec. 31, 1910 925, 000. 00 

Returnable on building charge, 12,316 acres, at $38 per acre 468, 000. 00 

Balance 457, 000. 00 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION" OF ARID LANDS. 113 

Therefore, if no extensions are made, the United States will have a 
loss on the project by the end of 1910 of about $457,000, even if 
the lien on the lands is considered of value sufficient to cover the 
amounts charged against them. The above estimated loss will prob- 
ably be increased for several years to come by deficits for operation 
and maintenance. 

18. Completion and extension. — The supervising engineer, under 
date of August 31, 1910, estimates that the project can be completed 
practically as outlined for the following costs : 



Subdivisions. 



Buford-Trenton subdivision. 
Williston subdivision 

Total 



Estimate 
for comple- 
tion. 



$160, 000 
110, 000 



270, 000 



Irrigable 

acres 

added. 



7,975 
3,100 



11,075 



Thus the completion would reduce the estimated loss on the project 
to about $300,000. Should conditions justify the opening of this 
additional area at a higher construction charge than $38 per acre, 
the loss to the reclamation fund would be further reduced. From this, 
it appears that it will be advisable to complete the system in case 
further experience with the irrigable areas already opened shows that 
the owners of the irrigated lands are securing satisfactory results 
and that there is a reasonable probability of the additional lands 
being taken up. In the meantime, however, the board does not deem 
the completion advisable. 

19. Additional areas can be put under irrigation in this region by 
pumping if conditions warrant. The supply of water is ample and 
the lands are in easy reach of moderate pump lifts. At present, how- 
ever, extensions of this project are not advisable. 

20. Summary. — (1) This project is entirely within the State of 
North Dakota. 

(2) Of the total area of 23,182 acres in the project only about 10 
per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(3) The power plant, pumping plant, and the distribution system 
are well designed and constructed. 

(4) While the supply of water in the river is ample, the capacity 
of the pumping plant is based on a continuous, uniform use of the 
pumped water, a condition of use difficult to attain in practice, and 
there is therefore a probability that, with the small margin for con- 
tingencies in the pumping capacity, there will be an occasional in- 
jurious shortage of water. 

(5) Some modification should be made in the terms of the contracts 
with the farmers on this project which will enable them to obtain one 
irrigated crop prior to any demand for back charges, or which will 
provide for a system of graduated payments. 

(6) While the annual charge per acre of $5.50 may in many cases 
be burdensome, the lands generally, with good methods of farming, 
will bear this charge, provided the farmer can start anew without 
the handicap of a requirement of immediate payment of accumulated 
back charges. 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 8 



114 FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(7) The completion of the project as outlined is feasible from an 
engineering standpoint, but is not advisable until the area now in 
reach of water is being irrigated with success and is repaying to the 
reclamation fund the assessment made against it. 

(8) In the event of successful results from the present works, the 
completion of the approved project is desirable, as the addition to 
the irrigable area will help reduce the loss to the reclamation fund, 
and will also tend to a reduction of the annual cost per acre of opera- 
tion and maintenance. 

(9) Whether or not the project is completed it appears to be in- 
evitable that there will be a large loss to the reclamation fund. 

(10) The estimated final cost of the project is about $1,195,000, of 
which approximately $911,000 had been expended prior to June 30, 
1910. 

(11) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $270, 000 



Section XX. 

UMATILLA PROJECT, OREGON. 

1. The board visited the Umatilla project, near Hermiston, Oreg., 
September 7, and spent the day in examining the feeder canal, Cold 
Springs Reservoir and Dam, the distributing system, and the lands to 
be irrigated. 

2. A public hearing was held on the evening of September 7, 
in Hermiston, at which those interested were given an opportunity 
to make statements and furnish information to the board. In gen- 
eral, they expressed their approval of the work under the project, 
both as to progress and cost. 

3. Location and description. — The Umatilla project is located in 
eastern Oregon in the near vicinity of Hermiston and lies wholly 
within the limits of the State. Large areas of good land surround 
this town, which depends for its prosperity upon the neighboring 
agricultural areas now being irrigated. The project covers the irri- 
gation of about 25,000 acres lying in the angle between the Umatilla 
and the Columbia Rivers on the east side of the Umatilla, from which 
river it takes its water supply at a point several miles upstream. 
The average elevation of the irrigated areas is 470 feet above sea 
level. The temperature ranges from 28° below zero to 115° F. The 
Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co. partly traverses this project and 
also follows its borders on two sides. The Spokane, Portland & 
Seattle Railway on the other side of the Columbia River affords a 
second line of transportation. 

4. The project includes a diversion dam in the Umatilla River 2 
miles above Echo. This dam produces the necessary head for the 
feeder canal which supplies water to the Cold Springs Reservoir, 
where 50,000 acre- feet may be stored. 

5. The Cold Springs Reservoir lies in a natural depression, about 
C miles east of Hermiston, which is closed by an earth dam across 
its outlet. Its area is 1,500 acres. The stored water is discharged. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



115 



by means of a concrete conduit passing through the dam, into the 
main distributing canal and thence into the system of laterals. 

6. Taking the project as a whole, the engineering structures are 
apparently satisfactorily designed and executed. The only impor- 
tant engineering structure is the earth dam closing the outlet to the 
Cold Springs Reservoir. This dam has already withstood almost the 
maximum head and appears stable, although its height of 98 feet 
makes it one of the high earth dams of the country. Leakage under 
the dam, amounting to about 1.3 second-feet, was observed. It is 
said that increase of head against the dam does not increase the flow 
materially. This is being watched and is not thought to be serious. 
It is assumed by the Reclamation Service that this leakage is through 
seams in the foundation under the dam and at its ends. 

7. The main feeder canal, 24J miles long, has a capacity of 300 
second-feet at the reservoir. There are 62 miles of laterals having 
capacities less than 50 second-feet. The distribution system consists 
of a main distributing canal, called the " A " line, leading out from 
the reservoir through a concrete conduit supplied with valves. From 
this " A " line all the remainder of the system is supplied. Water 
is carried to the lower laterals through concrete pipes, the intention 
being to generate electricity at some of the drops and use the power 
for pumping for the irrigation of a small area lying above the 
gravity system. One concrete siphon is 9,831 feet long, 46 inches in 
diameter, and is under 110-foot head. 

8. Water supply. — The water supply is taken from the Umatilla 
River and consists exclusively of flood flow. None of the low water 
discharge is available for the project as all of it has already been 
appropriated. The drainage area of this river is 1,600 square miles, 
and the watershed has an elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level. The 
average rainfall is 20 inches and the average normal run-off is 
530,000 acre-feet per annum. Discharge measurements have been 
kept at Gibbon, Oreg., since 1897 and at Yoakim since 1903. The 
water rights appear to have never been adjudicated, but application 
has been made by the United States to the State board of control for 
a determination of the priority and amount of 'all claims. This 
determination is now in progress. The priorities as estimated by the 
Reclamation Service and the river discharge for 13 years are as 
follows : 




Maxi- 
mum 
rate of 
diversion. 



Acre-feet 

required 

for full 

supply. 



Umatilla project: | Acres. I Sec.-ft. 

Maxwell Canal \ or . ftm / 114 

FeedCanal f ^ ,ouu \ 350 

Western Land & Irrigation Co I i 10,000 125 

Inland Irrigation Co i 8.000 100 

Oregon Land & Water Co | i 5,000 60 

Allen Ditch ) 

Mill Ditch I 

Pioneer Ditch I „ 

Courtney Ditch 

Slusher Ditch 

Taylor Ditch 

Brownell Ditch 1 1,200 15 



Total. 



51, 600 



100, 000 

25,000 

2 20, 000 

3 6,000 

12,000 



6,000 



3,000 



794 



172,000 



» Estimated. 



» Flood. 



* Stored. 



116 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



The experience of this year (1910) indicates that the return flow 
to the river will be sufficient to supply the priorities of the Oregon 
Land & Water Co. and Brownell Ditch Co. This will reduce the 
total in the tabulation to 719 second-feet and 154,000 acre-feet, re- 
spectively. Moreover, since the Maxwell Canal will not be operated 
prior to March 15 it is not likely that the maximum rate of diversion 
of the Maxwell Canal and the feed canal will occur at the same 
time, so it appears that priorities for existing project may be con- 
sidered as a total of 154,000 acre-feet, and a maximum rate of diver- 
sion not exceeding 670 second-feet. 

Umatilla River, discharge since 1896 and assumed priorities. 



Year. 


Total dis- 
charge. 


Assumed 
priorities. 


Unappro- 
priated. 


1897 


Acre-feet. 
572,000 
408, 000 
770, 000 

0) 

616.000 
507,000 
534,000 
693,000 
250,000 
602,000 
567,000 
369,000 
439,000 


Acre-feet. 
154,000 
154,000 
154.000 
154.000 
154,000 
154,000 
154,000 
154,000 
154.000 
154.000 
154,000 
154,000 
154,000 


Acre-feet. 
418,000 


1898 


254,000 


1899 


616,000 
2 200,000 


1 900 


1901 


462,000 


1902 


353,000 


1903 


380,000 
539, 000 


1904 


1 905 


96,000 


1906 


448,000 


1907 


413, 000 


1908 


215,000 


1909 


285,000 





Incomplete. 



* Probably. 



It thus appears that the present supply is sufficient to provide 
water for the proposed project, with considerable surplus. 

9. The duty of water is assumed at 2-| acre-feet at the farm, re- 
quiring 62,500 acre-feet. If 33 per cent loss from evaporation and 
seepage be allowed in the laterals and 5 feet evaporation in the reser- 
voir, the total amount required would be about 101,000 acre-feet to 
supply 2^ acre-feet on the land. The capacity of the reservoir is 
50,000 acre-feet and it will be necessary, therefore, that 51,000 acre- 
feet to be supplied direct from the river. It is estimated by the Recla- 
mation Service from hydrographs that the prolongation of the flood 
period into the irrigation season will be sufficient to supply this 
quantity. 

10. Lands. — The total acreage under this project as above men- 
tioned is 25,000. During the season of 1910, the area for which water 
was available was 15,319. This leaves 9,454 acres still to be furnished 
with water under the present proposed extensions. Of the total acre- 
age there were only 4,120 acres of public land subject to entry under 
the reclamation act. The Northern Pacific Railway owned 1,980 
acres, and other land under private ownership, or not subject to the 
reclamation act, amounted to 18,673 acres. Lands owned by the rail- 
road are now being sold to settlers under contract to apply for water 
under the terms of the reclamation act. About one-half of the public 
land is embraced in the proposed continuation of the project which 
would therefore not receive water if present plans were interrupted. 

11. The average rainfall on the project is about 9 inches annually, 
which is too little for crops without irrigation. The land in this 
project consists of sandy loam throughout, and is, in a large propor- 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 117 

tion, volcanic ash. The top surface is underlaid with gravel which 
assists materially in drainage, so that but little attention has been 
paid to waste water in the upper portions. In the vicinity of Hermis- 
ton there are considerable areas now swamped which will require a 
more or less extensive drainage system before the project can be 
utilized to its fullest extent. This will not be difficult and provision 
therefor has been included in the estimates. The high winds often 
make necessary the replanting of grain crops when they are not pro- 
tected by windbreaks. The farm units have been restricted to 10 
acres in the close vicinity of Hermiston, to 20 acres in the more re- 
mote areas, and to 40 acres near the outer limits of the project. 
Although the irrigated land in the vicinity of Hermiston is still new, 
it is now being planted with orchards, both peach and apple, and 
alfalfa is also being seeded. Some vegetables are being grown and 
berry bushes have been set out. The hopes of the settlers are that this 
area will equal some of the Wenatchee and Yakima lands in fruit 
products, such as apples, peaches, and grapes, and already land has 
been sold for $200 per acre, exclusive of construction charges. Should 
this hope of productiveness be realized, it seems plain that a high con- 
struction cost can be supported without hardship. The charge already 
fixed by the Reclamation Service for this land is $60 per acre and 
applies to 18,200 acres. The cost of operation and maintenance, as 
fixed by the Reclamation Service, is $1.30 per acre. 

12. Cost of the project. — The amount expended on this project up 
to June 30, 1910, has been $1,211,827.71, which includes maintenance 
and operation charges amounting to $61,624.91. The project is about 
70 per cent completed. The cost of completion is estimated by the 
Reclamation Service at $330,000, in addition to present allotments, 
with which it is expected to irrigate new areas lying between the pres- 
ent completed portions of the system and the Columbia River, and, 
also, a new strip of land lying between the feeder canal and the per- 
manent lateral of the distributing system known as the "A" line. It 
is also expected to drain some of the swamped areas. 

13. Returns to the reclamation fund. — The amount set by the Recla- 
mation Service as a building charge is $60 per acre. This was origi- 
nally believed to be ample, but it was found later that increased 
charges would be necessary. The $60 charge applies to 18,200 acres. 
To cover the cost it is now expected to charge $75 per acre for one 
unit of 3,130 acres and $100 per acre for one unit of 3,300 acres. At 
these rates, if all the land is taken up, the return will be $1,656,750. 
As the total estimated cost is $1,650,000, there will be no loss unless the 
estimates for completion are exceeded. It is doubtful whether the 
higher-priced lands will be rapidly taken up. There is still a deficit 
on account of operation and maintenance of about $41,000, which it 
is believed by the Reclamation Service will be returned to the fund 
in 10 years by retaining the present charge of $1.30 per acre, which 
will, it is expected, exceed the actual cost when the entire area is 
irrigated. In this connection it is noticed that the par value of stock 
in the water users' association is $60. If the higher payments are not 
fully secured by a lien on the land under the present agreement with 
this association and its members, new agreements should be made 
covering the higher-priced land. 

14. West extension. — The people of Hermiston and vicinity are very 
desirous that the Government extend this project to the west side of 



118 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

the Umatilla River, where the reclamation of from 40,000 to G0,000 
acres of land by a gravity system is proposed. This extension was the 
main subject discussed at the public hearing. This development, 
while being properly an extension of the Umatilla project, inasmuch 
as it would receive its water from the same source and lie contiguous 
to the areas at present being irrigated, yet is in the nature of new 
work as its development bears in no way upon the completion of the 
present unit of the project. The extension would require the con- 
struction of a reservoir of a capacity of about 135,000 acre-feet by 
building a dam in the Umatilla River near the mouth of Butter Creek. 
The water surface would be raised about 70 feet, and the supply would 
then be distributed over the land by a gravity system. This gravity 
plan could be supplemented to cover about 30,000 acres more by 
electric pumping, should this further extension be deemed desirable. 
Reservations on the Des Chutes River for a dam site with which to 
develop power have been made, the power to be used in pumping 
water from the gravity canals or from the Columbia River to the 
areas not irrigable by any gravity system. If the water supply is 
sufficient, the total area of the proposed extension can be expanded to 
about 100,000 acres, including the pumping project. 

15. Experience on the Umatilla project and on private projects at 
Irrigon and Kennewick indicates that the soil is abundantly able to 
produce fruits and alfalfa as well as vegetables and berries. The 
climate is suitable thereto, and although the areas are swept by strong 
winds throughout the spring of each year the soil can be protected by 
cultivating windbreaks. Of the area under the proposed gravity sys- 
tem there are but 17,000 acres of public land. The remaining land 
belongs either to the Northern Pacific Railroad or is now in private 
ownership through homestead and desert-land entries, or through 
purchase from the railroad. Hydrographs for 12 consecutive years 
indicate that there will be a surplus of over 200,000 acre-feet, mak- 
ing allowances for private rights and the requirements for the main 
Umatilla project. 

16. Allowing 5 feet evaporation on the average area of the pro- 
posed reservoir — 3,200 acres — and a loss of 5,000 acre-feet for a 6 per 
cent loss in the distribution, a total loss of 21,000 acre-feet of storage 
water is to be provided for. The use of concrete-lined distributaries 
is proposed by the Reclamation Service, which it is expected will re- 
duce the losses from seepage to the low amount stated. By using 
flood water direct it is calculated from the records by the reclamation 
engineers that a surplus of 22 acre-inches only will need to be stored, 
which gives a total of 112,000 acre-feet necessary in a season, allow- 
ing 23,000 acre-feet of stored water to be carried over if the reservoir 
were filled. It thus appears from these assumptions that the water 
supply will be sufficient for 50,000 acres if the proposed reservoir be 
built. 

17. The cost of this extension, exclusive of the pumping system, but 
including the dam across the Umatilla River with its accessories, esti- 
mated at about $1,000,000, amounts in all to nearly $4,000,000. This 
is approximately $80 per acre for an area of 50,000 acres. 

18. Summary. — (1) The project is feasible and practicable from 
an engineering and economic standpoint. 

(2) The project lies wholly within the limits of the State of 
Oregon. 



FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 119 

(3) The total area of land to be irrigated is 25,000 acres, of which 
about 16 per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

(4) The water supply is sufficient for the area of the present 
project. 

(5) The proposed west extension being entirely distinct should be 
postponed for the present on account of the large amount of money 
needed for the completion of other projects to which the United States 
is committed by the large expenditures already made. 

(6) The total estimated cost of the work is $1,650,000, of which 
about $1,212,000 has already been expended. 

(7) The land can bear the cost of construction estimated at $60, 
$70, and $100 per acre, although that subject to the higher charges 
may not be rapidly taken up. 

(8) The project as now adopted is worthy of completion in view 
of the advanced condition of the work. 

(9) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the loan $325,000 



Section XXI. 

KLAMATH PROJECT, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA. 

1. The board visited this project on September 30 and October 1 
and 2, 1910. A public hearing was held at Bonanza on September 30 
and at Klamath Falls on the evening of October 1. 

2. Location. — The lands of this project are located in Klamath 
County, Oreg., and in Siskiyou and Modoc Counties, Cal. Transpor- 
tation facilities at the present time consist of a branch of the 
Southern Pacific Railway, called the California & Northeastern 
Railway. Upon completion, this branch will form a through line 
between Portland and San Francisco. Surveys for two other lines 
are reported as reaching the vicinity of Klamath Falls, one of which, 
if constructed, will give an outlet to the east. 

3. Historical. — The original plans included what was known as 
the " upper " and " lower " projects. The " upper " project, accord- 
ing to preliminary surveys, comprised an area of 48,350 acres, and 
included Langells, Yonna, and Upper Poe Valleys. The "lower" 
project, from the preliminary surveys, comprised an area of 188,045 
acres situated in Klamath and Lower Poe Valleys. This area in- 
cluded the marsh lands to be reclaimed around Lower Klamath Lake 
and those to be uncovered by the lowering of Tule Lake. 

4. Before beginning work, the Reclamation Service purchased cer- 
tain private rights and canals as follows : 

(1) The property and rights of the Klamath Canal Co. 

(2) The property and rights of the Little Klamath Water Ditch 
Co. (Adams Canal). 

(3) The property and rights of the Klamath Falls Irrigating Co. 
(Ankeny Canal). 

(4) The Keno Canal, belonging to Moore Bros. 

5. The Klamath Canal Co. and the Ankeny Canal controlled the 
situation on the east side of the outlet of the Upper Lake, the main 



120 FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

source of the water supply. They owned certain essential rights 
of way and irrigated a small amount of land. The Adams Canal 
was a private canal taking water from White and Lower Klamath 
lakes and this interest prevented the lowering of the latter lake, a 
necessary preliminary to the reclamation of the Klamath marsh 
lands. This canal occupied rights of way and irrigated lands which 
it was desired to have in the project. The Keno Canal controlled 
the outlet on the west side of the Upper Lake and held certain 
riparian rights which it was thought desirable to obtain. As a 
part of the purchase price of this canal, the Reclamation Service 
agreed to deliver in perpetuity to the Moore Bros, at their power 
plant 205 second-feet for power purposes. A part of the original 
plan was the construction of a reservoir at Clear Lake, and for this 
purpose the Carr ranch was bought. This purchase also extinguished 
the riparian rights of the owners around Tule Lake, which was to 
be lowered. 

6. The main canal for the project was located on the east side of 
the outlet of LTpper Klamath Lake, and a capacity of 1,500 second- 
feet was required. Before any radical changes were made in the 
project this canal was constructed to its proposed length and dimen- 
sions. For irrigation and power purposes and to deliver to the 
Moore Bros, the 205 second-feet due them by contract, the Keno 
Canal was constructed to carry 650 second-feet. This canal termi- 
nates at the Moore Bros, power plant. Owing to changes in plans 
this canal has not been extended. 

7. The project at the outset was further complicated by the fact 
that both Upper and Lower Klamath Lakes are navigable waters, 
together with a portion of Klamath River between Klamath Falls 
and Keno. Navigation can not be carried on between the lakes, but 
small craft can pass from Lower Klamath Lake to Klamath River. 
Upper Klamath Lake lies wholly in the State of Oregon, while 
Lower Klamath Lake lies partly in California and partly in Oregon. 
As the original plans of the Reclamation Service contemplated 
changes in the channel of Klamath River, a possible lowering of 
Upper Klamath Lake, and the lowering of the level of Lower 
Klamath Lake, acts of the legislatures of the States of California 
and Oregon were obtained, authorizing the United States to lower 
or change the levels of the lakes in question, and ceding to the 
United States any lands not previously disposed of which might be un- 
covered by the lowering. The Congress also passed an act (February 
9, 1905) authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to make such 
changes in the levels of the lakes in question as might be deemed 
necessary in carrying out any irrigation project under the reclama- 
tion act. Under these acts the Secretary of the Interior entered into 
a contract with the California & Northeastern Railway Company 
by which the latter was to carry its railway across the upper portion 
of Lower Klamath Lake in a manner prescribed by the Reclamation 
Service. The United States is obligated under this contract to 
assume all responsibility for any interruption to navigation. The 
act of Congress, while authorizing the changing of the lake levels, 
does not expressly authorize the closing of the lakes to navigation. 
The embankments constructed by the railway under this contract 
interfered with navigation between the lake and Klamath River. 
The board is informed that action is now pending for damages on 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 121 

account of the interference with navigation, in which the United 
States is made defendant on account of the obligation assumed in 
the contract with the railway. 

8. Owing to the construction charges having proved higher than 
was expected by the citizens, much dissatisfaction was expressed 
and large areas of land subscribed to the project as above outlined 
were released. Other large areas of private land which it was ex- 
pected would subscribe did not do so. The project has, therefore, 
been materially changed in its outlines. 

9. Description of present project. — The project as now proposed 
has three approved subdivisions and two which have not yet received 
executive approval. All are described as follows : 

(a) Lower project uplands. — This portion of the project, 37,000 
acres in area, includes a strip of valley land extending northwesterly 
and southeasterly between Klamath and Tule Lakes, together with 
Poe Valley. This valley and the easterly portion of Klamath Valley 
are traversed by Lost River, a stream having its headwaters in 
Clear Lake and discharging into Tule Lake. This river has so little 
fall and is generally so far below the surface of the surrounding 
land as not to be available, except to a limited extent, for irrigating 
these two valleys. Water for this subdivision comes from Upper 
Klamath Lake through the main canal and distributing system, 
although 1,800 acres will be irrigated by water from Lost Eiver 
diverted at the proposed Wilson's bridge dam. 

(b) Tule Lake subdivision. — This includes 35,000 acres, all to be 
uncovered by lowering Tule Lake. This lake covers 96,000 acres. It 
is of fresh water and is fed by Lost River. It has no known outlet, 
but a small amount of water escapes at the southerly end into the 
crevices of the lava beds. By artificially enlarging some of the 
crevices the discharge was temporarily increased from 10 second-feefc 
to 32 second-feet, but as the lake subsided the outflow decreased; 
and it seems probable, therefore, that no reliance can be placed on this 
method for lowering the lake. In 1888 the Klamath River broke 
through its banks at a point three miles south of Klamath Falls, 
diverting a considerable amount of water through Lost River Slough 
and Lost River to Tule Lake. This caused a rising of the lake until 
the settlers closed the break by a levee. After a comprehensive study 
of the situation it is proposed by the Reclamation Service to reclaim 
from thirty-five to forty thousand acres of land around the northern 
end of the lake by the following plan: First, the utilization of the 

' reservoir at Clear Lake to regulate the discharge of Lost River. 
This also provides water which can be used for the irrigation of 
lands elsewhere. Second, construction of a diverting dam on Lost 
River at Wilson's bridge and a diversion channel of 250 second-feet 
capacity connecting Lost River with Klamath River. This capacity 
of 250 second- feet provides for a constant discharge from Lost River 
of 200 second-feet, and for 50 second-feet estimated return flow from 
lands along Lost River irrigated from Upper Klamath Lake. Third, 
a dike to be built across the northerly end of the bed of Tule Lake 
to prevent flooding of the lands after being reclaimed. Fourth, 
pumps at the dike to pump drainage water from behind the dike 
to irrigate a narrow strip of land along the easterly side of the lake. 
Fifth, a diversion dam near the present mouth of Lost River, to- 
gether with a distributing system of canals and laterals, as well as 



122 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

drains, in the reclaimed area. By these means it is proposed to keep 
all Lost River water out of Tule Lake except such flood flow as can 
not be controlled by the reservoirs. The main canal from the Upper 
Klamath Lake, now used only to water the first subdivision, was 
constructed with a capacity sufficient to irrigate these Tule Lake 
lands. Attention is called to the fact that the successful use of these 
tule lands after being reclaimed depends largely on the prevention of 
subirrigation from seepage from the higher irrigated lands around 
them and upon the success of the plan to control Lost River floods by 
means of Clear Lake Reservoir, the diversion channel, and the dike. 

(c) Marsh lands. — It was proposed originally to irrigate the re- 
claimed marsh lands by means of the main canal which was given 
sufficient capacity for the purpose as far as constructed. The drain- 
age was to be effected mainly by the construction of the Keno Cut 
and tunnel, involving excavation in the Klamath River to lower its 
level, the improved channel to lead to a tunnel cutting through the 
bend below. Power was to be developed at the lower end of the 
tunnel. As these plans proved, on more detailed investigations to be 
too costly, they were abandoned. The construction of the embank- 
ment and trestle of the California & Northeastern Railway across the 
marshes will, when the embankment is made continuous, divide the 
marshes and necessitate separate treatment of the two portions. Sev- 
eral plans for the reclamation of these marsh lands have been con- 
sidered by the Reclamation Service. Inasmuch, however, as the 
efforts of the Agricultural Department at its experiment farm near 
Ady to cultivate these marsh lands after being drained have been 
unsuccessful, the board does not consider it advisable to expend fur- 
ther money on the reclamation of these lands until the agricultural 
possibilities are better known. In connection with the marsh land 
subproject, request was made by parties interested that the Govern- 
ment require the railway to close its embankment across the marshes 
and install the gates for the control of the inflow and outflow of 
Lower Klamath Lake in the concrete structures provided for the pur- 
pose; that the connection of the Adams and Van Bremmer canals 
with White and Lower Klamath lakes be severed and the lands under 
these canals receive water from the main canal as contemplated in 
the final completion of the project; and that the Government make 
a small amount of excavation, estimated to cost $50,000, in the upper 
part of Ankeny Falls, Klamath River. The parties then desire to be 
released from their subscriptions and be allowed to experiment with 
reclaiming their marsh lands which lie south and east of the railway 
embankment. In view of the conclusions of the board with regard to 
this subdivision, any work in connection with these lands involving 
additional expense to the United States is considered inadvisable. It 
is recommended that private lands in this subproject be released from 
their obligations. 

(d) Upper subproject. — It is proposed to irrigate certain lands on 
the north side of Lost River, together with a small area to the south 
of that river, and lands in the Yonna Valley, by water stored in 
Horsefly Reservoir, located on the headwaters of Miller Creek, a trib- 
utary of Lost River. The lands at present included in it were origi- 
nally subscribed to the main project in the belief that the construction 
charge would be about $20 an acre. As it was subsequently found that 
this cost would be much greater, the owners were released from their 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 123 

agreement. Under the present plan and the estimated charge about 
75 per cent of the landowners have again subscribed. This sub- 
project has not received executive approval. The main features com- 
prise the reservoir dam at the headwaters of Miller Creek, a diverting 
dam in the creek in the vicinity of the lands to be irrigated, and 
the necessary canals and laterals. 

(e) Modoc subproject. — As Clear Lake Reservoir could not be used 
to irrigate lands in the lower Langell Valley, as originally contem- 
plated, it became desirable to develop some other use for these waters, 
and a reconnoissance showed that this water might be diverted to 
lands in Modoc County, Cal., and also to the narrow strip of 
lands in Oregon on the east and north of Tule Lake, above the irri- 
gating system under the first subdivision. It would appear from in- 
vestigations now in progress that about 18,000 acres can be irrigated 
at a cost of about $64 per acre. If this plan is adopted the land should 
bear its proportion of the cost of Clear Lake Reservoir. 

10. The main engineering features of the project comprise the 
storage dam at Clear Lake, the main canal leading from Upper Kla- 
math Lake on the east side, the Keno Canal leading from Upper 
Klamath Lake on the west side, the diversion dam in Lost River, the 
diversion channel from Lost River to Klamath River, the dike in 
Tule Lake, the laterals and subsidiary distributing system, and a 
power plant and distribution of electrical power for sale and for 
pumping water for irrigation and drainage in Tule Lake subdi- 
vision. These features present nothing unusual or difficult in design 
or execution. Those that are constructed appear to have been well 
designed. The main canal will carry only 500 second-feet, but was 
constructed, as stated above, with a capacity of 1,500 second-feet. 
The Keno Canal will not now be used to supply water for irrigation, 
though originally designed to do so. 

11. Water supply. — The water supply for the project as herein 
considered is to be obtained from three sources — Upper Klamath 
Lake, Clear Lake Reservoir, and Horsefly Reservoir on Miller Creek. 
Upper Klamath Lake has a drainage basin of 3,100 square miles, with 
an average annual rainfall of about 20 inches. It has an area of 
66,000 acres. A storage of 200,000 acre-feet can be provided at small 
cost. This lake will supply all the water for the lower project 
uplands and for Tule Lake reclaimed lands except 100 second-feet, 
the total required for both subprojects being 720 second- feet. Lower 
Klamath Marshes, if reclaimed, will derive the necessary water from 
Link River, diverted at a point below the power plants on the Keno 
Canal. The upper subproject will receive its waters from Horsefly 
Reservoir and the Modoc subproject from Clear Lake Reservoir. 
There are certain undefined water rights claimed in Upper Langell 
Valley that will have to be satisfied, to the extent allowed, from 
Clear Lake Reservoir. These rights are now being adjudicated, but 
are not believed to be large enough, even if found valid, to affect the 
use of the reservoir for the Modoc subproject. The adjudication, 
however, should be completed before proceeding with this subproject. 
An analysis of the water supply for the whole project is included 
in the appendix to this section, and it is there shown that there will 
be sufficient supply for each of the subprojects, attention being called 
to the water rights claimed in the Langell Valley affecting the Modoc 
subproject. 



124 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



12. Intimately. connected with this question of water supply is the 
reclamation of the Tule Lake lands. This is to be accomplished 
mainly by evaporation, the supply of water being cut off except in 
times of floods, by the storage reservoirs, the diversion channel con- 
necting Lost and Klamath Rivers, and the use for irrigation of 100 
second-feet of Lost River flow which enters Lost Kiver below the 
Clear Lake Reservoir. The rate at which Tule Lake would recede 
under the measures proposed is also discussed in the water-supply 
appendix. From this study it would appear that about nine years 
would be required to reduce Tule Lake so that 35,000 acres of land 
could be reclaimed. The studies of the Reclamation Service relative 
to this subject have been comprehensive, but there are many elements 
entering the problem, such as run-off from the surrounding drainage 
basin, future rainfall, seepage from lands now being placed under 
irrigation, that are more or less indeterminate, and time alone can 
decide whether the assumptions made are warranted. That 35,000 
acres of these lands can eventually be reclaimed in the manner pro- 
posed seems probable. 

13. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 4,100 
feet above sea level, and the average annual rainfall is 15 inches. 
Dr} T farming is possible, and in A^ears of more than average rainfall 
is profitable. The irrigable land under the five subdivisions is shown 
in tabular form as follows : 



Subdivision. 


Private. 


State. 


Public. 


Total. 


Lower project uplands 


36, 300 

3,100 

27, 000 

14, 000 

8,000 




1700 

131,900 

2 27,000 

1,500 

9,000 


37, 000 


Tule Lake lands 




35, 000 


Lower Klamath Marshes 




54,000 


Upper subproject 


500 
1,000 


16, 000 


Modoc subproject 


18,000 






Total 


88, 400 


1,500 


70, 100 


160,000 







i These lands were originally practically all State lands, but were deeded to the United States by States 
owning same for homesteads, under condition that the lands should revert to the State if not reclaimed. 
2 Fourteen thousand public and thirteen thousand State lands ceded under conditions in note 1. 

Of the 160,000 acres, 70,100 are public lands subject to the recla- 
mation act, 88,400 are private, and 1,500 acres State. Omitting the 
marsh lands, the total is 106,000 acres, of which 43,100 are public, 
61,400 private, and 1,500 acres are State. 

14. The soil in the first subdivision is generally decomposed basalt 
of good fertility. In the lower part near Tule Lake there is much 
fine sand, making it difficult to cultivate. The soil is fairly deep, 
but is underlaid with diatomaceous ash, more or less impervious, 
rendering drainage essential. The duty of water is 1.8 acre-feet per 
annum at the farm. Under this first subdivision the first unit of 
27,776 acres of subscribed land and 1,771 acres of land to which 
water free of construction charges was to be furnished was opened 
November 18 and December 7, 1908. At the present time 24,860 have 
made application for water. Reports for 1910 are not available, 
but in 1909 18,471 acres were irrigated,, the total value of the crops 
being reported as $327,220. There are two portions of this first unit 
which require drainage and this is to be provided by the Reclama- 
tion Service. An item of $10,000 is included in the estimate for this 
purpose. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 125 

15. The land in the Tule Lake subdivision is largely public, but 
is wholly covered at present by the lake. The soil immediately 
around the lake seems fertile, and much land now covered, due to 
the rising of the lake in recent years, was formerly exposed and 
was then equally good. The indications are that the lands reclaimed 
will prove fertile. 

16. The marsh lands around Lower Klamath Lake are about half 
public and half private. So far experiments with this land have 
not given favorable results. It appears to be very difficult to work, 
is very much like peat, and several years are necessary before the 
soil can be reduced to a cultivable state capable of growing any crop. 

17. The upper subproject lands appear to be of good quality and 
are easily drained. The owners are desirous of having water brought 
to their lands. 

18. The Modoc subproject lands likewise are of good quality and 
easily drained. The settlers are very desirous of having this sub- 
division irrigated, as the lands included are high and they think 
well suited to fruits. 

19. The last two subdivisions are not as yet part of the approved 
project, and whether the waters of Clear Lake will be applied to 
the Modoc lands or to the lands north of Langell has not yet been 
decided. The Langell lands have not been included in any pro- 
posed subproject, as a large part of them are held in large tracts 
whose owners decline to subscribe. 

20. tfosfa.— Expenditures to June 30, 1910, have been $1,905,715.37. 
The estimated cost of completion of the five subdivisions is shown 
in the following table : 

(a) Lower project uplands: 

Expenditures made and charged to this account $857, 283 

Estimated to complete 199.9S0 

Total 1, 057, 268 

Acreage, 37,000 ; approximate building cost, $28.57 ; announced 
charge, $30. 
(6) Tule Lake reclamation: 

Expenditures made and charged to this account 621, 506 

To complete 854,000 

Total 1, 475, 506 

Acreage, 35,000; approximate construction charge, $42.16. 

(c) Reclamation marsh lands : 

Expenditures made and charged to this account 377, 420 

To complete 1, 432, 242 

Total 1, 809, 662 

Acreage, 54,000; approximate construction charge, $33.51. 

(d) Upper subproject: 

Expenditures made and charged to this account 21, 379 

To complete 775, 000 

Total 796, 379 

Acreage, 16,000; approximate construction charge, $49.77. 

(e) Modoc subproject: 

Expenditures made and charged to this account 12, 490 

To complete 1, 132, 920 * 

Total 1, 145, 410 

Acreage, 18,000; approximate construction charge, $63.33. 

Total to complete the five subprojects 4, 394, 142. 00 

Total estimated cost 6, 279, 857. 37 



126 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

In this table the previous expenditures have been adjusted by the 
Reclamation Service among the five subprojects in as nearly equitable 
proportions as now practicable. 

21. It is believed that the lands in all the subprojects, except the 
marsh lands, can bear the probable construction charges. 

22. The par value of the stock of the water users' association has 
recently been increased from $20 to $30. This new value will cover 
the construction charges of the first subdivision. In the other four, 
the estimated construction charges range from $33.51 to $63.33. It 
is believed that these subdivisions should be dealt with independently 
through new associations or trustees, the lands to be bound to the full 
construction charges before large expenditures are made. 

23. Comments. — Due apparently to insufficient information as to 
construction costs at the time this project was undertaken, radical 
changes in the plans and scope of the project have been necessary. 
The main canal and the Keno Canal were both constructed before 
these changes were made and are much larger than needed in the 
present proposed development, though the latter can be made of use 
in the development of power. The inclusion of the Klamath marsh 
lands within the project and the expenditure thereon of about 
$300,000 without knowing their agricultural possibilities was unwise. 

24. Summary. — (1) This project is interstate in character, the 
irrigable area lying partly in Oregon and partly in California. 

(2) Of the total lands, 106,000 acres, exclusive of the marsh lands, 
43,100 acres, or 40.6 per cent, are public lands subject to the reclama- 
tion act, of which 700 acres are in the lower project uplands, 31,900 
acres are Tule Lake lands, 1,500 are in upper subproject, and 9,000 in 
the Modoc subproject. 

(3) Water supply is sufficient. 

(4) The total estimated expenditures, exclusive of marsh lands, is 
$4,470,195.37, of which about $1,500,000 was expended to June 30, 
1910, as follows : 

Lower project uplands $857, 288 

Tule Lake 621, 506 

Upper subproject 21,379 

Modoc subproject 12, 400 

(5) The lands, exclusive of the marsh lands, will bear the con- 
struction charges estimated as follows : 

Per acre. 

Lower project uplands (announced) $30.00 

Tule Lake lands 42.16 

Upper subproject 49.77 

Modoc subproject 63. 33 

(6) (a) The lower project uplands or first subdivision is feasible 
from an engineering and an economic standpoint and worthy of 
completion. 

(b) The construction of the Tule Lake subdivision should be taken 
up tentatively to allow further study of the reclaimed lands and the 
efficiency of the proposed means of controlling the lake area. 

(c) The upper subproject is an extension not yet approved. It is 
feasible from an economic and an engineering standpoint, but owing 
to the necessity of completing more important work elsewhere and 
to the small amount of public land involved, it is not advisable to 
prosecute it at the present time beyond such preliminary work as will 
enable definite plans to be made. 



FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 127 

(d) The Modoc subproject is feasible from an economic and an 
engineering standpoint, but it has not yet received Executive approval. 
Owing to the large amount of public land in this subproject, and to 
the fact that the water supply therefor is already provided in Clear 
Lake Reservoir, it is regarded as worthy of completion as funds are 
available, subject to the adjudication of water rights in Upper Langell 
Valley. 

(e) The development of the marsh land subdivision around Lower 
Klamath Lake should be postponed until it has been shown that 
the lands can be made productive when cultivated. 

(7) Keno Canal power should be developed as needed by the 
project; the excess power should be developed in cooperation with 
the water users' association in such manner as to insure return of 
cost to the United States. 

(8) The par value of the stock of the water users' association is 
sufficient to cover, the construction charge on the first subdivision 
only. For the remaining subdivisions new arrangements should 
be made by which the land will be bound for the full building 
charge. 

(9) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the loan $600,000 



Section XXII. 
BELLE FOURCHE PROJECT, SOUTH DAKOTA. 

1. The board visited the Belle Fourche project on August 8 and 9, 
inspecting the headworks at the town of Belle Fourche, the dam, the 
reservoir site, and part of the distribution system on the 8th, and the 
lands under irrigation and those which it is proposed to irrigate on 
the 9th. An informal public hearing was held at the railroad station 
at Belle Fouche on August 9, at which time those interested were 
given an opportunity to express their views with regard to the work 
on the project. 

2. The Chicago & Northwestern passes through the town of Belle 
Fourche, and the Belle Fourche Valley & Northwestern, a branch 
line, runs diagonally through the irrigated land. Good facilities for 
shipping products are thus provided. 

3. Location and description. — The Belle Fourche project is located 
on both sides of the Belle Fourche River in the northwestern part 
of South Dakota, northeast of the Black Hills. The land and the 
water supply are all within the limits of that State. The general 
elevation of the land in the project is from 2,600 to 3,000 feet above 
sea level and the temperature ranges from 25° below zero to 100° F. 
The project consists essentially of a diversion dam in the Belle 
Fourche River about 2 miles below the town of Belle Fourche, 
S. Dak., which diverts the greater part of the flow of this stream 
into an inlet canal. This dam, at its northern end, is provided with 
headworks admitting water into the canal which supplies a large 
storage reservoir formed in the bed of a small stream, known as Owl 
Creek. This creek is cloced by a high earth dam in which are placed 



128 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



two concrete culverts with regulating gates, from each of which leads 
a distribution canal carrying water to the farms through minor lat- 
erals. The inlet canal for supplying the reservoir from the Belle 
Fourche River is a large one, having a capacity of 1,635 cubic feet 
per second. It has a length of 6J miles. The reservoir has an area 
of 8,010 acres and a total storage capacity of 204,000 acre-feet. The 
north distribution canal has a capacity of 650 second-feet and will 
ultimately irrigate 60,000 acres; and the south distribution canal 
has a capacity of 300 second-feet and will irrigate 40,000 acres. 

4. Water supply. — Owing to the fact that there are no prior filings 
below the diversion dam all of the water supply of the Belle Fourche 
River which reaches this dam is available for direct irrigation or 
storage. Above the dam there is considerable irrigation, particularly 
on Red Water and Spear Fish Creeks, tributaries of the Belle 
Fourche River, but no extension of this work can be made under 
State law if it interferes with the Government project. The present 
supply, therefore, seems to be amply protected. 

5. A complete record of the flow of the Belle Fourche River at 
the diversion dam has been kept since June, 1903 (except during 
1907, when the gaging station was destroyed), and an analysis of the 
results to and including 1909 shows that the total quantity and its 
distribution throughout the year were such as to have permitted the 
diversion through the present inlet canal of the amounts shown by 
the following table. These totals cover only nine months in each 
year, excluding December, January, and February, during which 
ice would probably obstruct the flow. 

Run-off of the Belle Fourche River and Owl Creek. 



Years. 



1903 

1904 

1905 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

Mean of 1903 to 1909 



Run-off of 

the Belle 

Fourche 

River. 



Acre-feet. 
116,280 
261,470 
290, 960 
252,310 
2 240,000 
218, 710 
217,800 



246,875 



Run-off of 
Owl Creek. 



Acre-feet. 
35,000 
38,000 
37,200 
34,700 
39,000 
18,400 
31,000 



33,050 



Total. 



Acre-feet. 
i 151,280 
299,470 
328,160 
287,010 
279,000 
237,110 
248,800 



279,925 



1 Part year only. * Estimated. 

Note.— No record of run-off of Crow Creek. (Drainage area, 125 square miles.) 

5. The run-off of the Belle Fourche River for the first part of 1910 
was notably less than for the corresponding part of any previous year 
of recorded flow, the amount between March 1 and July 31 being only 
40 per cent of that for the corresponding period of 1909. 

6. The duty of water on this project is estimated at 2 acre-feet per 
acre per annum, measured at the farm, and the area included in the 
project is 100,000 acres. 

7. Evaporation losses on the reservoir may be roughly estimated at 
18,000 acre-feet and seepage and evaporation losses in the canals at 
25 per cent, which would leave approximately 200,000 acre-feet for 
delivery to the farms. Some of the above losses will be offset by the 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF APJD LANDS. 129 

inflow from Crow and Indian Creeks, so it is apparent that in normal 
years the water supply will be sufficient for the needs of the project. 
The partial measurements for 1910 indicate that there would have 
been a shortage of water had the entire area under the project been in 
cultivation, but an occasional shortage of this kind does not affect the 
feasibility of the project, as the cost of providing for such abnormal 
conditions would probably be greater than the resulting benefits. 

8. Land. — The irrigable area is about 100,000 acres, of which 50.000 
acres are private land, 20,000 withdrawn from entry, 21,600 acres 
entered subject to the reclamation act, 2,946 open to entry, and 5,515 
acres State school land which will be sold to private owners. Practi- 
cally all the public land thus far opened has been entered for settle- 
ment, there remaining but about 40 farms not taken up. The farm 
unit on public land is 80 acres, except within 2 miles of town sites, 
where it is reduced to 40 acres. On private land it is 160 acres. 

There were 47,568 acres of land ready to be irrigated in 1910, leaving 
the remainder to be brought under irrigation by extensions of the lat- 
eral systems. There were 23,500 acres actually supplied with water. 
The soil on the north side of the Belle Fourche River is usually clay loam 
of the gumbo type and difficult to work, several years being necessary 
to subdue it, but it is productive when cultivated. The soil on the south 
side is lighter, and the lands on this side are more sought after. The 
rainfall is about 15 inches, and the region is therefore classed as semi- 
arid. Dry farming is practiced to some extent, but the crops are only 
one-fourth to one-half the crops on irrigated land, and are failures in 
some years. The crops are grain, corn, alfalfa, potatoes, and possibly 
fruit. Irrigated land sells at prices varying from $40 to $50 for raw 
land and from $75 to $100 when brought thoroughly under cultiva- 
tion. The character of the land does not warrant high construction 
charges for irrigation, but it is believed that the charge of $30 already 
fixed for the first unit and the charge of $35 suggested by the Recla- 
mation Service for the remainder can be easily borne, together with 
charges for operation and maintenance of about $0.50 per acre per 
year. 

9. Distribution system. — The distribution system is in two units, 
one being served by the north side canal and the other by the south side 
canal. The north side canal has a capacity of 1,600 second-feet for a 
length of about a half mile, and from there on a capacity of 650 
second-feet. It has been completed and is in use for a distance of 
9 miles to Indian Creek. It is now being extended for an additional 
length of 36 miles. The south side canal is smaller, having a ca- 
pacity of 350 second-feet, and has been completed to the Nine Mile 
Creek, a distance of 45 miles, nearly its full projected length. It 
crosses to the south side of Belle Fourche River in a concrete siphon 
3,565 feet long and 5 feet in diameter. The distribution sj 7 stem now 
completed covers less than one-half of the whole project. The re- 
maining areas are to be covered bj^ the extensions now being made, 
and lie mainly under the north side canal. Some drainage will 
likely be necessary to prevent swamping. 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 9 



130 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

10. Cost of the project. — The total cost of the project up to June 
30, 1910, has been $2,394,157.01. The estimated cost of completion 

is $755^863; as follows: 

Belle Fourche Dam $95, 839 

North canal and laterals ^ 630,024 

Nine-mile lateral 30, 000 

755, 863 

11. Returns to the reclamation fund. — The price of $30 per acre 
to cover construction charges was set in 1907 considerably in advance 
of the completion of the later units. This figure is too small, but 
11,293 acres were opened to settlement in June, 1907, under this 
charge, and about 35,000 acres more were reached by the ditches in 
1910, and were officially opened in February, 1910, for the same 
building charge. For the remainder of the land it will be necessary 
to set a new and somewhat higher construction charge if the total 
cost is to be returned to the reclamation fund. The settlers who 
were on the ground when the project was started, many of whom 
were owners of patented land, applied for water under the reclama- 
tion act under the agreement that charges over the entire project 
were to be uniform. The price of $30 was set later, so that a higher 
charge can not apply to areas covered by the early applications 
without modification of the contract. It is expected by the Reclama- 
tion Service to charge $30 per acre for 70,000 acres and $35 per acre 
for 30,000 acres, the total of which amounts to $3,150,000. If all 
the lands under the project were to be finally disposed of at these 
charges and the present estimates for completion not exceeded, the 
expected returns would just cover the cost. The cost of operation 
and maintenance has exceeded the returns at the charge set of $0.40 
per acre per annum, and a deficit of about $4,000 exists in conse- 
quence. This charge has now been raised to $0.50, which it is ex- 
pected will refund the deficit in several years. Should drainage 
be found necessary, it is believed that this should be paid for by 
assessments against the land under operation and maintenance 
charges. 

12. Comments. — In general the work seems well adapted to the 
purpose for which designed. The earth reservoir dam has been 
constructed with slopes somewhat steeper than is customary in dams 
of this type and height. Some flow is noticeable at the lower toe of 
the dam, although but little water was in the reservoir at the time 
when the dam was inspected. The board believes that the dimen- 
sions of the dam should be made the subject of further study, and 
that the leakage be kept under constant observation. A fuller de- 
scription and discussion is appended. In general, the project 
appears to be feasible and practicable in an engineering and econom- 
ical sense. 

13. Summary. — (1) This project with its water supply lies wholly 
within the limits of the State or South Dakota. 

(2) The area of the irrigable land in the project is 100,000 acres, 
of which the amount of public land subject to the reclamation act is 
about 45 per cent. 

(3) The total estimated cost is $3,150,000, of which about $2,400,- 
000 has been expended. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 131 

(4) The project is feasible from an engineering and economic 
standpoint and is worthy of being completed. 

(5) The water supply is sufficient for the area now proposed for 
irrigation. 

(6) The land is productive and can readily refund the construc- 
tion charge of from $30 to $35. 

(7) The advanced condition of the work, the promptness with 
which the land has been taken up by settlers, the relatively large 
areas of fairly productive land, and the comparatively low cost of 
irrigation render it desirable to continue the work at an economical 
rate of progress until completed. 

(8) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: From the fund, $480,000. 



Section XXIII. 

STRAWBERRY VALLEY PROJECT, UTAH. 

1. The board visited this project September 15, 16, and 17 and met 
the directors of the Strawberry Valley Water Users' Association, at 
Provo, on September 16. 

2. Location. — The project lies wholly within the State of Utah, 
the irrigable area being on the southeast shore of Utah Lake, about 
60 miles south of Salt Lake City and surrounding the towns of Pay- 
son, Spanish Fork, and Salem. 

3. Excellent transportation facilities are afforded by the San Pedro 
Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad and by the Denver & Rio Grande 
Railroad, both of which traverse the project. 

4. Description.— -The project contemplates the irrigation of 
60,000 acres of mesa and bottom land, all in private ownership, with 
certain possible extensions, which will be referred to hereafter. Much 
of the area under the project proper is now under cultivation, and 
has been for many years. About 30,000 acres are now being partially 
irrigated from Spanish Fork River and certain small creeks, and dry 
farming is practiced on part of the remainder. 

5. Of the land irrigated, it is estimated that in normal years about 
8,000 acres receive a full supply, and that occasionally there is a fair 
supply for approximately 20,000 acres during the entire season. 

6. The object of the work undertaken by the Reclamation Service 
is to supplement the flow of the Spanish Fork River by bringing an 
additional supply through the rim of the Great Salt Lake Basin 
from the Colorado River drainage. This involves the construction of 
a reservoir in the valley of the Strawberry River, a tributary of the 
Duchesne River, and the diversion of the water thus stored by a 
tunnel nearly 20,000 feet long through the rim of the Great Basin. 
From the tunnel it will be discharged into the Sixth Water Creek 
and flow thence through Diamond Creek into Spanish Fork River. 

7. The project includes the ultimate development of about 3,000 
electric horsepower, to be obtained by dropping through penstocks to 
some of the lower distributing laterals part of the flow diverted at 
Spanish Fork Dam. The diversion dam and the power canal, which 
is 3J miles long, have been constructed, and 1,200 horsepower is 



132 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



now being developed. This power development is primarily for 
use in driving the tunnel, but there is a surplus, part of which is 
being sold to the town of Spanish Fork. 

8. Work on the tunnel is in progress, and about 9,000 feet have 
been excavated, nearly one-half of the total length. No work has 
been done upon the storage reservoir nor upon the distribution 
system. 

9. Engineering structures. — The Strawberry Tunnel has an arched 
top. It is 8 feet G inches high at the crown, 6 feet 6 inches high at the 
spring line, and has a width of 7 feet. Its slope is 0.003 and its 
capacity about 600 second-feet. It is being driven from a single 
heading at a rate of 400 feet a month. No serious difficulties have 
been encountered and none are expected. Based upon work already 
done the cost, including lining, will be about $45 per lineal foot. 
The Spanish Fork Diversion Dam is of concrete, well constructed 
and substantial in character. The arrangements, however, for keep- 
ing heavy silt out of the canal seem unnecessarily complicated and 
expensive. 

10. Water supply. — The run-off of Spanish Fork River at the 
mouth of the canj-on has been measured since 1903, and the amount 
that could have been diverted to the irrigable area during the irriga- 
tion season through the diversion canals as planned is shown in the 
table below. There is also included in the table such information as 
is available concerning the run-off of Strawberry Creek (including 
Indian Creek, which is to be diverted into the storage reservoir) : 





Years. 


Available supply. 




Spanish Fork. 


Strawberry. 


1903 


Acre-feet. 

42, 000 

51,000 

38.500 

89,500 

125, 500 

50,000 

125,000 

« 72, 600 


Acre-feet. 


)904 


54,820 


1905 


i 40, 1(50 


190ii 


4 84, 300 


1907 




1908 




1909 


150, 000 


1910 










Average 


74, 262 









i April 13 to December 31. 



* January 1 to July 12. 



» To September 10. 



11. The Reclamation Service has filed on the waters of Spanish 
Fork, but there are prior appropriations confirmed by court decree 
which aggregate 350 second-feet, or considerably more than the low- 
water flow. Under its contract with the Strawberry Valley Water 
Users' Association, however, these prior water rights will nearly all 
be merged with those of the United States. Therefore, the maxi- 
mum amount that can be diverted will be available for the project. 

12. On Strawberry Creek a filing was made for 100,000 acre-feet, 
though the capacity of the reservoir as now proposed is 175,000 acre- 
feet. This filing expires in January, 1911, and when renewed should, 
if practicable, be increased. There are no prior rights. 

13. Duty of water. — The average rainfall on the project is 18 
inches, and it is estimated by the Reclamation Service that 2.2 acre- 
feetper acre additional will be sufficient for agricultural purposes. This 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 133 

is believed to be reasonable, though less than the average amount now 
being used on a number of the irrigated farms. 

14. The evaporation loss on the reservoir, owing to its position in 
the mountains, will be slight, and the losses between the reservoir 
and the diversion weir will also be small. Assuming an evaporation 
and seepage loss of 25 per cent in the distribution system, 33£ per 
cent will probably cover the total losses on stored water. On this 
basis, 3.3 acre-feet of reservoir water, or 3 acre-feet of Spanish Fork 
water, will be required for each acre irrigated. 

15. The average run-off of the Spanish Fork River is approxi- 
mately 75,000 acre- feet, sufficient for the irrigation of 25,000 acres, and 
the irrigation of the remainder of the outlined project will require 
3.3 a ere- feet on 35,000 acres, or 115,000 acre-feet from Strawberry 
Valley. The discharge measurements of Strawberry Creek are so 
meager that no definite conclusions can be reached as to its ability to 
furnish the required amount of water. Certainly the data is insuffi- 
cient to justify the assumption that there will be any greater amount 
than 115.500 acre-feet. 

10. The usable run-off of Spanish Fork Creek can be somewhat in- 
creased by the construction of auxiliary reservoirs on Diamond Fork, 
for which an item of $100,000 is included in the estimate. No surveys 
have yet been made of these sites, so that neither the amount nor the 
cost of this auxiliary storage is known. As Diamond Fork Canyon 
is relatively steep and narrow, the storage will probably be small and 
the cost per acre-foot relatively high. 

17. Based upon the above, it seems probable that there will be 
sufficient water in ordinary years from the Spanish Fork River 
and Strawberry Creek for the projection as now outlined, but not 
sufficient for the irrigation from these sources of any of the proposed 
extensions. 

18. Lands. — The irrigable area has an average elevation of 1,500 to 
4,800 feet above sea level, and is of good quality, the soil being a 
sandy and gravelly loam, with deep black soil in the lowlands. Y\ r here 
sufficiently irrigated it produces abundant crops of alfalfa, sugar 
beets, hay, cereals, and vegetables. Much success has been attained 
with sugar beets, there being a factory and several slicing stations in 
the valley. The crop is usually worth from $70 to $75 per acre, with 
a net profit of from $35 to $40. Parts of the area are devoted to rais- 
ing fruit and the success thus far attained indicates that a considerable 
percentage of the area under the project may be suitable for this pur- 
pose. Estimates by interested persons place this as high as 60 per 
cent. There is some trouble with frosts on the fruit lands, especially 
where there is no air drainage. Near the mouths of the canyons, 
where there is wind, frost is less likely to occur. In other places 
owners are compelled to smudge occasionally at a cost of from $8 to 
$10 per acre. 

19. The land used for grain, alfalfa, etc., is worth from $60 to $150 
per acre under irrigation. Fruit land with bearing trees has been 
sold at from $250 to $1,000 per acre, and is said to yield a profit of 
from $200 to $600 per acre. Land for dry framing is worth from 
$20 to $40 per acre. In purchasing nonirrigated land for the high- 
line canal, $40 to $45 per acre was paid. 

20. A large part of the land is very low and flat, and the ground 
water in many places is within from 4 to 6 feet of the surface. Al- 



134 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 

though large areas are at the present time swamped, very little work 
has been done in the wav of drainage. 

21. Cost.— There has been expended to June 30, 1910, $909,000, 
and the estimated expenditures to December 31, 1910, are $1,130,000. 
The estimated additional cost for the completion of the project is as 
follows : 

Storage Dam on Strawberry River, height above foundations, 77 feet_ $262, 000 
Dike between Indian Creek Valley and Strawberry Valley, height 

above foundation, 35 feet 225, 000 

Indian Creek diversion. Diversion of all the small streams emptying 

into Indian Creek, into Strawberry Reservoir . 60, 000 

Completion of Strawberry Tunnel, 10,000 feet of excavation, 15,000 

feet of lining, and controlling works east portal of Strawberry 

Tunnel, gatekeeper's house, etc 695, 000 

Road to Strawberry Dam and maintenance of tunnel road 25. 000 

High-line canal, 26 miles long 650, 000 

Improvements around Spanish Fork diversion dam, and work along 

power canal 10, 000 

Siphon and small canal to supply high ground above East Bench 

Canal 50, 000 

Rebuilding old canal system, rebuilding old diversion dams, widening 

old canals, etc__ 100 r 000 

Distribution system 100,000 

Auxiliary reservoirs in Diamond Fork Canyon 100, 000 

2, 277, 000 

Making a total cost of $3,407,000, or a cost per acre of $56.80. 
This unit cost may be considerably reduced should the proposed exten- 
sions to be described hereafter prove feasible. 

22. At the time the Strawberry Valley Water Users' Association 
was formed the par value of the shares was placed at $40, which was 
supposed to represent the building charge. As it now seems probable 
that the building charge will be considerably higher and as it is ques- 
tionable whether the land owner can be held for an amount greater 
than the par value of his stock, unless in making his water-right 
application he voluntarily assumes the additional obligation, due con- 
sideration for the investment of the United States requires that the 
par value of the stock of the water user's association be increased as 
provided for in the by-laws. Furthermore, this increase should be 
made within a reasonable time and prior to any large additional ex- 
penditures on the project. 

23. There are a number of private and State irrigation projects in 
the vicinity, the cost of which has varied from $20 to $75 per acre. 
Considering this fact and the quality of the land in the project, the 
board believes that, even if the cost amounts to $56.80 an acre, it will 
not be excessive for fruit land. For other land it will be burdensome 
but probably not prohibitive. 

24. In furtherance of this project 43,000 acres of land, covering 
practically all of the Strawberry Valley drainage area above Straw- 
berry Dam, was acquired by purchase from the Indian Bureau. This 
is now leased for grazing purposes at $0.20 an acre a year, and the 
returns from this source, together with the returns from the sale of 
surplus electric power, should make the net cost of operation and 
maintenance low. 

25. Proposed extensions. — The project as outlined in the last an- 
nual report included only 60,000 acres, but recently consideration has 
been given to a dike and drainage project which would reclaim ap- 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 135 

proximately 36,500 acres additional. It consists in diking off two 
arms of Utah Lake, draining these areas by means of pumps, and, 
during the irrigating season, using the drainage water to irrigate the 
lands drained. While this extension adjoins the original project and 
would use power developed in connection with the original project, 
it is in other respects entirely distinct. The diking off of these two 
areas was considered by the Reclamation Service in 1904 in connec- 
tion with what was then known as the Utah Lake projects, and in 
reference to these dikes a board of consulting engineers then reported : 

Investigations indicate that the material in the bed of the lake is of such 
character that this plan is not feasible. 

26. It is understood that no subsequent examination with a view 
to finding a suitable site for the dikes has been made. The character 
of the soil in the bed of the lake is not known. No tests have been 
made to determine the effect of pumping upon the ground-water 
levels nor is it definitely known that the drainage water will be 
suitable for irrigation. Doubt also exists as to whether the owner- 
ship of the bed of the lake is in the United States or in the State of 
Utah. No detailed plans of this extension have yet been prepared, 
so that the estimate submitted for it, $900,000, must be considered 
as a mere approximation. Pending the collection of more physical 
data no opinion can be expressed as to the feasibility of this extension. 

27. There has also been under consideration an extension of the 
gravity system across Santaquin Ridge to include 6,500 acres of 
public land at the southern extermity of Utah Lake. This is con- 
tingent upon a water supply in Spanish Fork and Strawberry 
Creek more than sufficient for the 60,000 acres in the original project. 
As this is improbable, the extension does not require further con- 
sideration. 

28. Summary. — (1) The discharge measurements of Strawberry 
Creek were not sufficient at the time the tunnel was started to war- 
rant so costly an undertaking, and they are not even now sufficient 
to justify a definite conclusion as to the amount of water that will 
be available from this source. 

(2) The entire area of 60,000 acres under the original project was 
in private ownership when work was started. 

(3) No interstate or international features are involved, the irri- 
gable area as well as the water supply lying within the State of 
Utah. 

(4) Except for the uncertainty as to the water supply, the project 
is feasible from an engineering standpoint. 

(5) Work has progressed so far that due regard for the investment 
already made requires that the project be completed. 

(6) The land can probably bear the building charge, but before 
any large additional expenditures are made, the members of the 
water users' association should be required to demonstrate their 
faith in the project and at the same time guarantee the United States 
against possible loss by increasing the par value of the stock in their 
association from $40 to $60 an acre. 

(7) Assuming such action by the water users' association, the 
board believes the project should be completed. 

(8) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the loan $2, 272, 000 



136 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Section XXIV. 

OKANOGAN PROJECT, WASHINGTON. 

1. This project, except the reservoirs which were not visited, was 
examined by a committee of the board on September 7, 1910, and a 
public hearing held at Omak on the afternoon of that day. 

2. Location. — The project, both as to the water supply and irrigable 
land, lies wholly within the State of Washington. Transportation 
facilities are poor, the nearest railroad being 50 miles away, and the 
nearest steamboat line 30 miles away, except for two months each 
year when the Okanogan River, which bounds the project on the east, 
is navigable for light-draft boats. The Great Northern Railway is, 
however, now building a line through the Okanogan Valley which, 
when completed, will furnish adequate transportation facilities. 

3. Description. — The project covers 8,650 acres. Water is obtained 
from Salmon River, a stream which drains about 152 square miles 
in the eastern foothills of the Cascade Mountains. Flood waters are 
stored in two reservoirs adjacent to each other, one Salmon Lake 
with a capacity of 2,000 acre-feet, and the other Conconully Reservoir 
with a capacity of 13,000 acre-feet. In the latter the water is im- 
pounded by an earth dam, 60 feet high. The dam has just been com- 
pleted and has not as yet been subjected to its full head. A spillway 
of 5,000 second-feet capacity is provided, which is about ten times 
the maximum recorded discharge. The outlet is through a reen forced 
concrete conduit controlled by a cast-iron gate. From the clam the 
water is discharged into the natural bed of Salmon River and flows 
thence 12 miles to a small diverting weir. There is a fall of over 800 
feet from the outlet of the reservoir to the diverting weir. The 
canal leading from this weir has a capacity of 100 second-feet. At 
the end of the second mile it divides into two parts known as the up- 
per main lateral and the lower main lateral, the latter diverting from 
the main canal through a drop of 105 feet. The upper main lateral 
also contains a drop of 58 feet at a point one and three-fourth miles 
beyond the junction. These two drops afford opportunities for the 
development of power in small quantities which have not yet been 
utilized. The structures examined were well built and suitable for 
the purpose intended. 

4. Water supply. — The run-off of the Salmon River as measured 
since 1903 is — maximum 56.000 acre-feet, minimum 22,000 acre-feet. 
In 1908 and 1909 the run-off was less than 30,000 acre-feet and it is 
probable that the run-off for 1910 will also be less than 30,000 acre- 
feet. As prior rights on this stream covering 1,350 acres must be 
satisfied in addition to the 8,650 acres in the Government project, 
there is need for 30,000 acre-feet every year, the duty of water at the 
farm being placed at 2 acre-feet and the seepage and evaporation 
loss at 33 per cent. In 1909 seepage and evaporation losses in the dis- 
tribution system alone averaged 40 per cent, but these losses will 
probably decrease with further use of the ditches. It is therefore evi- 
dent that the capacity of the stream is fully utilized and there prob- 
ably will be times when less than 2 acre-feet per acre can be delivered 
at the farms. 

5. Lands. — The irrigable area within the project is 8,650 acres, of 
which approximately 1,100 acres were Government land subject to 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 137 

the provisions of the reclamation act at the time the project was 
undertaken. The remainder was in private ownership. The aver- 
age elevation above sea level is 1.000 feet. The average annual rain- 
fall is 8 inches, and without irrigation no crops can be raised. 

6. The character of the soil within the irrigable area is volcanic 
ash, sand, and gravel. It is nearly all suitable for fruit, particularly 
apples, and is valued at from $100 to $300 per acre. About 4,000 
acres of the 8.650 in the project received water this year, and it is 
probable that 70 per cent of the total will be under irrigation in 1911. 

7. Cost— The cost of the project to June 30, 1910, was $573,000, 
and the estimated cost of completion at that date $17,000, a total of 
$590,000. The building charge was fixed in 1908 at $65 per acre, 
except as to 499 acres, which were allowed credits of from $6 to $10 
per acre in consideration of the owners constructing their own ditches 
and carrying devices. The anticipated returns are $558,304, so there 
will be a loss to the reclamation fund on this project of about 
$32,000, nearly $4 per acre. The charge for operation and mainte- 
nance in 1909 was $1.50 per acre. There is also a deficit under this 
heading due to the small acreage under cultivation, but it is expected 
that this will be made up in subsequent years. 

8. Extensions. — The project as outlined by the Reclamation Serv- 
ice has been practically completed, but request is made by the Okano- 
gan Water Users' Association for an extension primarily for the pur- 
pose of increasing the size of the irrigable area and thereby reducing 
the cost of operation and maintenance per acre. Two extensions have 
been considered, one to utilize part of the power now going to waste 
between the storage dam and the diversion weir, or the power that 
can be developed at the two drops and transmit it electrically to a 
point on the Okanogan River, and there pump water from the Okano- 
gan River to lands adjacent to the left bank of the river and within 
the Colville Indian Reservation. Another su^p-estion is to increase 
the size of the upper mam lateral between the two drops and continue 
it at the high level beyond the 58-foot drop. To provide water for 
this purpose it is proposed to utilize part of the water now dropped 
into the lower main lateral and to substitute for the water so with- 
drawn w r ater pumped from the Okanogan River, utilizing power to 
be developed either at the drops or in Salmon River above the diver- 
sion weir. The areas covered by the proposed extensions consist of 
good fruit land, equal and probably superior to the low-lying areas 
under the existing project. 

9. The cost of the extension to the Indian lands on the left bank of 
the Okanogan has been approximately estimated by the Reclamation 
Service at somewhat less per acre than the cost of the existing project. 
No estimate has been made of the cost of irrigating the land between 
the upper main lateral and Johnsons Creek, but judging from the 
superficial examination made it would be in excess of $65. 

10. Statements were made by interested persons that a building 
charge up to $100 per acre would not be prohibitive, so there is no 
doubt but that all of the land under the extensions will be able to 
carry the construction charge. The proposed extensions are also 
feasible from an engineering standpoint. 

11. None of the land under consideration is public land subject to 
homestead entry, though that on the east bank is unallotted Indian 
land. 



138 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

12. Summary. — (1) The Okanogan project lies wholly within the 
State of Washington. 

(2) As constructed it is feasible from an engineering standpoint, 
is practically completed, and the land can readily pay the construc- 
tion charge placed upon it. 

(3) The total cost will be approximately $590,000. % 

(4) The announced building charge, $65 per acre, is not sufficient 
to insure full returns to the reclamation fund, the estimated loss 
being $32,000. 

(5) The proposed extensions are feasible from an engineering 
standpoint, and the probable cost per acre will be well within what 
the land can stand. 

(6) As there is no land under these extensions subject to homestead 
entry, it is not advisable to undertake either of them with reclama- 
tion funds. 

(7) If the Okanogan Water Users' Association desires to do this 
work at its own expense it should be encouraged to do so. 

(8) The following allotment is recommended for the four years, 
1911-1914, inclusive: 

From the fund $13, 000 



Section XXV. 

YAKIMA PROJECT, WASHINGTON. 

1. The board inspected this project from August 29 to September 1, 
inclusive, and held public hearings at Sunnysicle, North Yakima, and 
Ellensburg. The examination included the proposed additional units, 
as well as those under construction. All the principal structures and 
the sites of those proposed were visited either by the board as a whole 
or by committees of its members. 

2. Location. — The project both as to water supply and irrigable 
area lies wholly within the State of Washington. With the excep- 
tion of the Benton unit, which lies in the Columbia Valley, all the 
irrigable area is in the valley of the Yakima River, upon which river 
with its tributaries it depends for the necessary supply of water. 
North Yakima is the principal city within the project. The main 
line of the Northern Pacific Railroad passes through the entire 
valley, affording with its branches adequate transportation facilities. 
These are supplemented by the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound 
Railroad, which passes through Ellensburg in the Kittitas unit, and 
by the North Coast Railroad, now under construction in the lower 
valley. 

3. Description. — This project as outlined contemplates the irriga- 
tion of over 400,000 acres of land, divided into a number of distinct 
units. While these units are in a measure independent of each other, 
they are, with the exception of the Tieton unit, all dependent upon a 
common system of storage reservoirs and by formal order of the Sec- 
retary of the Interior, March 3, 1909, were consolidated into one 
project. 

4. On two of the units, the Sunnyside and the Tieton, work is now 
in progress, the former being CO per cent complete and the latter 80 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



139 



per cent complete. No work has been done on the Kittitas and Wapato 
units beyond the preparation of preliminary plans and estimates of 
cost. On the Benton unit no work has been done except a preliminary 
reconnaissance in 1905. 

5. A sixth unit, known as the High Line, has recently been pro- 
posed by private interests and has been made the subject of investiga- 
tion bv the Reclamation Service. 

6. Water supply. — Before work on the Yakima project was under- 
taken by the Reclamation Service the low-water flow of the Yakima 
River was overappropriated and there were many conflicting claims. 
As a precedent to beginning work in the valley it was required that 
these conflicting claims be settled. This was done by limiting agree- 
ments entered into by the users of water whereby the aggregate 
amount of the claims was limited to approximately the low-water 
flow. These agreements do not have the binding force of a court 
decree, but will probably serve as the basis of an adjudication should 
one be made in the future. In addition the State legislature by 
enactment made it possible for the Reclamation Service to withdraw 
from further appropriation all the unappropriated waters of the 
watershed, thus permitting a maximum development. This control 
of the unappropriated run-off is dependent upon continuous progress 
of construction and upon beneficial use of water. 

7. As the development of this project depends primarily upon the 
storage of flood water, five reservoir sites have been selected, the 
capacities of which are given in the following table. The first three 
of these are at the headwaters of the Yakima River and the last two 
at the headwaters of the Naches River, one of its tributaries :- 



Reservoir sites. 



Lake Cle Elum 

Lake Keechelus 

Lake Kachess 

McAllister's meadow. 
Bumpuig Lake 



Total. 



Capacity. 



Present. Ultimate. 



Acre-feet. 
23,000 
15, 000 
50, 000 



35, 000 



129, 000 



Acre-feet. 
426,000 
142, 000 
210, 000 
115,000 
35,000 



928, 000 



8. The present capacity of the reservoirs is only sufficient to meet 
existing requirements on the Sunnyside and Tietoh units. It will be 
gradually increased as further work on the irrigable areas is under- 
taken. „ „ nKr . 

9 The water shed of the Yakima River has an area of 5,050 square 
miles and an average annual run-off of 3.000,000 acre-feet. A com- 
prehensive study of the hydrographs of this river at different points 
durino- the period of 1904-1910 has been made by the Reclamation 
Service Against the discharge curves has been plotted the demand 
curves for the different units and the storage requirement determined 
for each year due allowance having first been made for prior rights. 
The results of this study are appended to this report and show the 
proposed storage in connection with flood flow to be sufficient for the 
irrigation of 417.000 acres. If to this be added the 64.000 acres in 
the Sunnvside and Wapato units, to which low-water rights attach, 



140 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



the total area capable of irrigation becomes 481,000 acres. In the 
following table are listed the acreages assumed in this study and the 
corresponding storage requirements : 



Project. 



Kittitas 

Benton, or High Line 

Tioton 

Wapato 

Sunnyside 

Total 



Total 

acres under 

project. 



67,000 
li 0,000 

34,000 
120, 000 
100.000 



481,000 



A crease 
requiring 

storage. 



67, 000 
160, 000 

34,000 
108,000 

48, 000 



Storage 

charge 

(acre-feet). 



417, 000 



146,000 
306,000 
59, 000 
247,000 
110, 000 



928, 000 



Cost of stor- 
age, assu til- 
ing fn'l de- 
velopment 
and uniform 
distribution. 



$654,000 

1, (.38, 000 

264, 000 

1,106,00) 

493.000 



4, 155, 000 



The assumptions upon which the analysis was made appear to be 
reasonable and the conclusions justifiable. 



RESERVOIRS. 



10. Cle Elum Lake Reservoir is on the Cle Elum River about 7 
miles above its confluence w T ith the Yakima. The average annual 
run-off at this point is 575.000 acre-feet. A temporary crib dam 
built in 1907 affords capacity for 23,000 acre-feet. It is proposed 
to develop an ultimate capacity of 426,000 acre-feet by the con- 
struction of an earth-fill dam at the outlet of the lake, with concrete 
outlet works and spillway. The foundations are suitable for such a 
dam, and satisfactory material for its construction can be obtained in 
the vicinity. 

11. Keechelus Lake Reservoir is near the source of the Yakima 
River, the average annual run-off at this point being 200,000 acre- 
feet. A temporary crib dam built in 1907 affords capacity for 15,000 
acre-feet. It is proposed to develop an ultimate capacity of 142,000 
acre-feet by the construction of an earth-fill dam at the outlet of the 
lake, with a concrete outlet conduit and controlling works and con- 
crete lined spillway. The foundations are suitable for such a dam 
and satisfactory material for its construction can be obtained in 
the vicinity. Final plans for this damhave not yet been made. 

12. Kachess Lake Reservoir. — This lake lies between Keechelus 
Lake on the west and Cle Elum Lake on the east, the dam site being- 
only 3 miles from the railroad. The lake has a drainage basin of 
only 63 square miles, but the average run-off since 1904 has been 
208,000 acre-feet. A temporary crib dam, constructed by a private 
company, whose rights have since been acquired, provides storage 
for 16,000 acre-feet. During the past year this has been increased 
by the construction of a drainage channel, enabling the lake to be 
lowered and thereby increasing its capacity to 56,000 acre-feet. It is 
proposed to develop an ultimate capacity of 210,000 acre-feet partly 
by increasing the depth of the drainage channel and partly by the 
construction of a permanent earth dam of greater height than the 
existing crib dam. The plans include a spillway with a capacity 
equal to the greatest flood of record — 7,200 second-feet — but as the 
reservoir provides for storing the maximum run-off, and as maximum 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



141 



floods usually occur when the reservoir is at its low stage, the spill- 
way will, probably, not often be required. 

13. McAllister 's Meadow Reservoir. — The site of this reservoir 
is on the headwaters of the Tieton River and has an estimated capac- 
ity of 115,000 acre-feet, about one-third of the average annual run-off 
at this point. This site was examined by a committee of the board 
and its report thereon is appended. The dam site is suitable for the 
character of dam proposed and the general plan as outlined is 
feasible, though probably at greater cost than is given in the estimates. 

14. Bumping Lake Reservoir. — This reservoir is situated at the 
headwaters of the Bumping River, a tributary of the Naches River, 
about 46 miles from Naches. The reservoir has a capacity of 35,000 
acre-feet and the run-off above it is more than sufficient to fill it each 
year. The reservoir is formed by an earth-fill dam now under con- 
struction and nearing completion. The report of a committee of the 
board which examined it is appended. In this report attention is 
invited to inferior concrete in the spillway, and to the material used 
and slopes adopted. It is believed that additional work on the dam 
may be necessary. 

15. The ultimate capacity, estimated total cost, and cost per acre- 
foot of the different reservoirs are tabulated below : 



Sites. 



Ultimata 

capacity 

(acre-feet). 



Already ex- 
pended or 
allotted. 



Additional 
allotment 
required. 



Estimated 
total cost. 



Ultimate 
cost per 
acre-foot. 



Lake Cle Elum 

Late Keechelus 

Lake Kachess 

McAllister's Meadow 
B umping Lake 

Total 



42f., 000 
142, 000 
210, 000 
115,000 
35, 000 



$48, 834 
44,955 

138, 000 
32,(>54 

525, 000 



31,050,000 
850, 000 
574,000 
900,000 



$1,100,000 
895, 000 
703, 000 
932, 000 
525, 000 



928, 000 



789, 443 



3,374,000 



4, 155, 000 



$2.58 
6.30 
3.35 
8.10 

15.44 



SUNNYSIDE UNIT. 



16. Location and description. — This unit lies in Yakima and Ben- 
ton Counties and is based upon a private canal known as the Sunny- 
side, which possessed one of the oldest and largest water rights in the 
valley, amounting to 1,050 second-feet. Only 650 second-feet was be- 
ing beneficially used at the time of its acquisition, and in the limiting 
agreements as to prior water rights, referred to above, the Sunnyside 
Canal is accorded this amount. This canal with its appurtenances 
was purchased in 1906 for $250,000. Water is diverted from the 
Yakima River just below Union Gap by a concrete diversion dam 
built by the Reclamation Service to replace an old crib dam. It is 
7 feet high and rests on a rock foundation. The main canal, which 
is to be about 60 miles long, is now being enlarged to a maximum 
capacity of 1,076 second-feet. Other improvements undertaken by 
the Reclamation Service were : 

(a) The construction of concrete drops in the main canal, the orig- 
inal slope being too steep to admit of enlargement without danger of 
excessive erosion. 

(b) The construction of additional culverts for the better protec- 
tion of the main canal against storm waters. 

(c) Reconstruction of turnouts, substituting concrete for wood. 



142 FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(d) The construction of three wasteways, which also serve as main 
drains for low-lying areas. The most important of these is the 
Sulphur Creek wasteway, 37 miles from the headworks, designed to 
carry the full flow of the canal at that point — 515 second-feet. 

(e) The construction of the Mabton siphon across the Yakima 
River designed to water about 10,000 acres on the right bank of the 
Yakima River in the vicinity of Mabton. 

17. Water supply. — The water rights acquired in the purchase of 
the Sunnyside Canal are insufficient for more than 5,200 acres and 
must be supplemented by storage. From the hydrographs of the 
river the storage required has been determined at 110,000 acre-feet, 

18. Lands. — The irrigable area is about 100,000 acres, of which 
1,346 is public and the remainder private land. The average eleva- 
tion of the irrigable area is 700 feet above sea level, and the average 
rainfall 7 inches. 

19. The soil is deep volcanic ash and gravel. Without irrigation 
farming is not possible. When irrigated the soil is very productive, 
the principal crops being forage, hops, vegetables, and fruits. About 
one-half of the area under the project is now being irrigated and 
water will be available for 12,400 acres additional by December 31, 
1910. Of the area under cultivation the largest part is used for rais- 
ing hay and alfalfa. The higher lands are devoted to fruit and yield 
abundant crops of peaches and apples. 

20. The average value of lands under irrigation varies from $200 
for alfalfa lands to $500 for fruit lands. The average returns from 
irrigated land, as stated by the residents in this unit, are large, and 
it can readily bear the construction charge. Considerable areas un- 
der this unit have been rendered temporarily useless by alkali, due to 
subirrigation. The first step to remedy this condition has been taken 
in the construction of the Sulphur Creek wasteway, which is to serve 
also as the main drain for the Sunnyside Basin. The cost of this 
main drain is charged against the unit as a whole. The cross drains 
leading to it, which will be necessary to fully reclaim the alkali lauds, 
are to be constructed by the owners of the land directly benefited. 
The Granger Basin in this vicinity is also in need of drainage, and 
preparatory surveys have been made. 

21. Cost. — The expenditures on this unit to June 30, 1910, including 
storage, were $1,443,000, and the estimated cost of completion, ex- 
clusive of storage, is $1,205,000. This cost of completion includes 
$388,000 for pumping plants, the cost of which is to be repaid by the 
lands to which the water is pumped in addition to the regular con- 
struction charge. The estimated cost of storage is $500,000, making 
the total cost $3,148,000. 

22. Returns to the reclamation fund. — Under the terms of agree- 
ment by which the Sunnyside Canal was acquired, 3,080 acres was to 
be provided with water free of charge and the remainder of the land 
under the canal was to bear no construction charge but an annual 
operation and maintenance charge of $1 per acre. These lands, how- 
ever, had no right to stored water and to put them on a parity with 
new lands irrigated under this unit, the owners of the old lands were 
permitted to purchase a supplementary water right at cost of $10 per 
acre. This not only entitled them to share in the benefits of the stor- 
age system but entitled them to operation and maintenance at actual 
cost instead of at a fixed sum of $1 per acre. This unit also includes 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION- OF ARID LANDS. 143 

1,108 acres of land at Prosser, which, owing to prior partial develop- 
ment, is to bear a construction charge of $31 per acre. The remainder 
of the irrigable area, 52,913 acres, is to bear a construction charge of 
$52 per acre. The estimated returns slightly exceed the estimated 
expenditures. 

23. Comments. — Less than 2 per cent of the land under this unit 
is public land subject to homestead entry, but the expenditures already 
made are so largely in excess of the returns that would be received 
from the areas now irrigated that a continuation of the work is desir- 
able at least to an extent sufficient to insure the return of the 
investment. 

24. The proposed extensions of the Sunnyside unit include four 
pumping plants to be operated electricalty, power being developed at 
a number of different drops in the distribution system. These pump- 
ing plants are designed to cover 14,310 acres of land, the water being 
pumped from laterals supplied through the main canal. The cost of 
these pumping plants is to be borne by the land irrigated by them, 
and in addition these lands must pay the regular construction charge 
for this unit of $52. As 85 per cent of the land to be thus irrigated is 
in private ownership, it would seem to be advisable to leave the in- 
stallation of the pumping plants to the owners, the United States 
merely delivering water to the pumps and receiving therefor the 
regular construction charge. Such an arrangement while desirable 
is contingent upon the passage of a law providing for the sale of sur- 
plus water. 

TIETON UNIT. 

25. Location. — This unit, containing 34,500 acres, lies on the right 
bank of the Yakima River between the Naches Eiver and Atanum 
Creek. It is all within 20 miles of North Yakima and is served by 
the North Yakima and Valley Railroad and by an electric line. 

26. Description.- — Water for this unit is taken from the Tieton 
River about 15 miles above its confluence with the Naches River. The 
system consists of a concrete overflow diversion dam founded on rock 
and rock-filled cribs, concrete headworks, a concrete lined main canal 
12 miles long with a capacity of 330 second-feet, and a system of dis- 
tributing laterals diverting from the North Fork of Cowiche Creek, 
into which the main canal empties. 

27. The main canal is lined with concrete throughout the entire 
length of 12 miles, except for a short distance below the intake. It 
is built through a rough country and 2 miles of it are in tunnel. 
Concrete wasteways, approximately 2 miles apart, are provided and 
are intended to operate automatically. Each is capable of discharg- 
ing the entire flow of the canal, a condition deemed necessary owing 
to the danger of stoppage or breakage by rocks rolling down the 
canyon side. 

28. The distributing system for the first subdivision of 11,000 acres 
has been completed and that for the second subdivision of 0,000 acres 
is under construction. No work has been done upon the third sub- 
division, covering the remainder of the area, except the preparation 
of plans and specifications. 

29. The distribution system in the Tieton unit provides for deliver- 
ing water to each 40-acre tract, and since much of the area is broken 
or undulating, flumes and pipe lines have been freely used. On the 



144 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

main laterals the flumes are of steel (Maginis type) with timber sub- 
structure-, and on the sublaterals all timber. The pipe line sub- 
laterals are of cement and wood stave pipe 6 inches to 24 inches in 
diameter. Eleven miles of flumes and 53 miles of pipe line are con- 
structed or contemplated. 

30. All the structures on this unit are well built and suitable for the 
purpose intended. All are of a permanent character except the 
wooden flumes. The latter, were estimated to cost less, including re- 
pairs and renewals, than if built of more durable material. 

31. Water supply. — Pending the construction of McAllisters 
Meadow reservoir, this unit will be dependent upon the unregulated 
flow of the Tieton River. Measurements since 1900 indicate that the 
Tieton low water will be taxed to its capacity to supply water for the 
Tieton project and that full development may require some storage 
on this river. 

32. To satisfy prior water rights below the diversion dam, all of 
which, except 5 second-feet, are in the Lower Naches and Yakima 
valleys, the water diverted from the Tieton during the low water 
flow will be replaced in the Naches River from the Bumping Lake 
Reservoir. If McAllisters Meadow reservoir is constructed the Tie- 
ton unit will draw on this reservoir, leaving the appropriated water 
of the Tieton undisturbed, and Bumping Lake reservoir a part of 
the general storage system. 

33. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 1,700 
feet above sea level and the average rainfall 9 inches. Dry farming 
is impossible. The irrigable area is 34,500 acres of which less than 
6 per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. 

34. The soil is volcanic ash, in places underlaid with hard pan, 
and much of the first subdivision is rough and broken. Nearly all 
of the land in this unit is suitable for fruit. Based on the character 
of the soil and on the crops that will probably be raised, the duty 
of water is assumed at 2.17 acre-feet per acre on the land, while on 
the Sunnyside unit 3 acre-feet per acre are provided for. This duty 
of water will require economic use. One thousand six hundred acres 
of land in the first subdivision were partially irrigated from flood 
flow this season. 

35. The land in private ownership has been divided into tracts 
ranging from 10 to 80 acres and is being sold at prices varying from 
$125 to $175 per acre, the purchaser paying the construction charge 
in addition thereto. Before the Government took up this project 
the land was practically valueless. 

36. Cost. — The total expenditures, including liabilities, to June 30, 
1910, and exclusive of storage, amounted to $1,720,000, and the ex- 
pected expenditures to December 31, 1910, will bring this total up 
to $2,000,000. Approximately $660,000 will be required after that 
date to complete the unit. 

37. If to this amount is added the cost of the Bumping Lake stor- 
age— $525,000— the total estimated cost will be $3,185,000, or about 
$93 an acre. This may be somewhat reduced, if the entire project, 
as outlined, is constructed and the total cost of the common storage 
system divided among the different units in proportion to their needs 
of stored water. 



FUND FOB, RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 145 

38. The land in the Tieton unit is not all equally good nor all suit- 
able for fruit. Fruit land can readily bear the construction charge. 
For other land, the charge will be high, but probably not prohibitive. 

39. The par value of the stock in the Water Users' Association is 
$60 a share. As it is questionable whether the land can be held for 
any greater amount, unless in making their water applications the 
owners voluntarily assume the added obligation, due regard for the 
investment already made requires that the par value of said stock 
be increased, as provided in the by-laws of the association, to not 
less than $93 a share. 

40. The project is feasible from an engineering and economic 
standpoint, and though the direct interest of the United States is 
small, due to the limited amount of public land, early completion is 
desirable in order that the investment already made may be returned 
to the reclamation fund. 

KITTITAS UNIT. 

41. Location. — The proposed Kittitas unit lies in the Upper Yak- 
ima Valley in the vicinity of Ellensburg and partially surrounds an 
area now under irrigation by private canals. Some of these canals 
receive water from the Yakima River and some from small creeks. 

42. Description. — This unit was first investigated in 1905, and be- 
cause of the relatively high cost and the relatively low value of irri- 
gated land at that time, its feasibility was considered doubtful. In 
1909 careful preliminary surveys were made and estimates prepared 
based on the following general plan: 

43. A diversion dam is to be built on the Yakima River above 
East on with a 500 second- foot canal heading on the right bank and 
running down the valley 32 miles. At this point the flow is to be 
divided, the greater part being carried over the river and railroads 
in a wood stave pipe supported on truss bridges. From the crossing 
to the irrigable lands the canal is to follow the left bank of the river. 

44. Water supply. — Water is to be obtained partly from the flood 
flow of the river and partly from storage taken from the general 
reservoir system. The storage charge for this unit is 146,000 acre-feet. 

45. Lands. — There are 67,890 acres in this unit, of which less than 
7 per cent is public land subject to the reclamation act. One-third of 
this area now has a partial water right from creeks estimated at 25 
per cent of a full water right. If these lands pay only 75 per cent 
of the construction charges the returns to the reclamation fund will 
be equivalent to full returns on 62,000 acres. 

46. The average elevation of the irrigable area is 1,600 feet above 
sea level, and the average rainfall 10 inches. 

47. The higher lands under this unit are volcanic ash underlaid 
with hardpan. The lower lands have more gravel. 

48. The duty of water is placed at 25 inches. This seems to be low 
and will require economical use. 

49. The main produce of the area now irrigated is hay, with some 
fruit and vegetables. Much of the land in the proposed unit lies 
higher than that now irrigated, and 40 per cent of it is considered 
good fruit land, while the remainder seems better adapted to hay or 
alfalfa. 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-5 10 



146 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

50. Hay land is said to be worth $200 an acre. Fruit land will be 
worth much more. 

51. Cost. — The estimated cost of this unit is $4,525,000, which in- 
cludes $527,000 for storage. This is equivalent to $73 an acre. As 
the cost of storage is likely to be greater than that assumed above, 
the unit cost may be $75 an acre. 

52. This cost is nearly 50 per cent greater than on the Sunnyside 
unit, but from statements made to the board by interested persons, 
it is believed that the land can bear the charge. 

53. The project does not involve any unusual engineering difficul- 
ties, though the main canal is expensive and for part of the distance 
passes through difficult country. While this unit has by Executive 
order been made a part of the Yakima project it is essentially a new 
project. It contains less than 7 per cent of public land and large 
expenditures will be necessary before any part of the unit can be 
irrigated. For these reasons, together with the need of available 
funds for the completion of projects in which the Federal interests 
are larger, it does not seem advisable to undertake the irrigation of 
this unit except to create and furnish the necessary stored water, 
should the sale of surplus water be authorized by law. 

WAPATO UNIT. 

54. Location. — The proposed Wapato unit lies on the right bank 
of the Yakima River, just below Union Gap, and consists of land at 
one time allotted to members of the Yakima Tribe of Indians. Of 
the 114,000 acres in the project, about 7.000 acres are now owned by 
white settlers and about 24,000 acres additional is under lease to white 
settlers. About 32,000 acres are now partially irrigated, 27,000 being 
Indian allotment land and 5,000 acres being in white ownership. 
The existing canals were largely built by the Indian Service, which 
began work in 1903, though several small ditches had been constructed 
prior to that date. 

55. Description. — A preliminary allotment for this unit was made 
in 1906, but no construction work has yet been undertaken. Two 
plans for irrigating this area have been considered. One provides 
lor an enlargement of the existing New Reservation Canal sufficient 
to carry all the water needed, and the construction of a diversion dam 
at its head; the other provides for partial diversion at this point- 
without the aid of a dam and the diversion of the remainder and 
larger part at the Sunnyside Dam. The first permits of a larger 
power development. Estimates based on existing information show 
little difference in cost. Under either plan 100,000 acres will be irri- 
gated by gravity and 14,000 acres by pumping. The main laterals 
are designed to follow the contours on proper grade, with sub- 
laterals on each section line and sufficient branches to reach each 80- 
acre tract. An adequate system of drains is also provided for. 

56. Water supply. — At the time the water rights in this valley 
were settled by limiting agreements, 147 second-feet were being 
beneficially used on this reservation, and the Secretary of the In- 
terior at that time limited the rights of the Yakima Indians to that 
amount. As the total amount of water that will be required for full 
development is 1,425 second-feet, approximately 1,278 second-feet must 
be furnished from storage during the season of low water. This 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 147 

amount with an allowance for losses in transmission is provided for 
in the study of the water supply of the valley. 

57. Lands. — The average elevation of the irrigable area is 850 feet 
above sea level and the average rainfall 7 inches. On the higher 
lands the soil is volcanic ash and on the lower lands a sandy loam with 
loose gravel subsoil. The duty of water is placed at 3.6 acre-feet per 
acre and is made higher than on the Sunnyside unit because of the 
loose gravel subsoil over the greater part of the area. The high lands 
will be valuable for fruit raising, while the low lands are better 
adapted to raising hay and potatoes, though good fruit has been 
raised on limited areas of low land. 

58. Unimproved land has been sold at from $100 to $165 an acre, 
and land with fruit trees 4 years old as high as $500 an acre. 

59. In constructing the existing ditches sufficient care was not 
taken to keep them above the underlying stratum of gravel. As a 
result the lower end of the irrigated area is now badly swamped and 
in need of drainage. An appropriation to do this work was recently 
made by Congress, and preliminary steps have already been taken. 

60. Cost. — The estimated cost, exclusive of storage, is $3,100,000, 
and the storage charge about $1,105,000, making the cost per acre 
nearly $37. It is understood that this includes payment to the 
Yakima Indian fund for the irrigation works heretofore constructed. 

61. Comments. — The irrigation of this unit is practicable from an 
engineering standpoint, and the land is of such character that it can 
bear the construction cost. 

62. Under the Jones Act of March 8, 1906, the Indian allottees 
are permitted to dispose of all land in excess of 20 acres, the proceeds 
to pay for the irrigation of the area retained. The same act also 
authorizing the homesteading of any irrigable surplus or unallotted 
lands, but it is understood that there are no such lands in this unit. 

63. While all the land involved is in private ownership, most of the 
present owners are Indians who are still the wards of the nation. As 
long as this condition exists the irrigation of this area in a compre- 
hensive manner by private enterprise is impossible. For this reason 
it is believed to be advisable for the United States to undertake this 
work when funds become available. 

BENTON UNIT. 

64. This proposed unit includes from 120;000 to 150,000 acres of 
land on both sides of the Yakima River near its junction with the 
Columbia. This unit has never been surveyed, and while a recon- 
noissance made five or six years ago showed in a general way its 
possibilities, the cost of irrigation per acre can not be definitely stated. 
Adjoining lands both on the north and south sides of the Yakima 
River are now being irrigated from private ditches, and excellent 
results are being obtained. Lands under these private ditches near 
Kennewick are held at from $300 to $500 per acre, including water 
right. As the lands under the proposed Benton unit are as good or 
better than those now being irrigated, it is believed that they can bear 
any reasonable construction charge. Included in this unit are ap- 
proximately 50,000 acres of Government land subject to entry under 
the reclamation act, a larger percentage of Government land than in 
any other unit under the Yakima project. 



148 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

65. The original plan for irrigating the Benton unit was to divert 
water from the Yakima River near Prosser, carry it down the valley 
to a point some 32 miles below, and there divide the canal into 
two branches, the larger leading to the lands in the Columbia 
River Valley above the mouth of the Yakima, and the smaller by 
siphon across the Yakima River to the lands near Kennewick. A 
second method is included in the plans of the Valley of the Yakima 
Water Users' Association, which recently submitted a proposition 
looking to the purchase from the United States of stored water, to be 
used in the reclamation of 200,000 acres on the left bank of the 
Yakima River above existing canals. This request is made contingent 
upon the passage by Congress of an act authorizing the sale of stored 
water. 

66. If this proposition is accepted, the reclamation of the Benton 
unit by water from the Yakima River would have to be abandoned, 
as the supply would not be sufficient for both the Benton unit and the 
area named in the application of the Valley of the Yakima Water 
Users' Association. To meet this objection, it is proposed to utilize 
the power developed at certain drops in the proposed high line to 
pump water from the Columbia River on to 100,000 acres of the 
Benton unit lying north of the Yakima River. The proposed high 
line provides for the use in the Yakima Valley proper of all the stor- 
able water of the Yakima River, leaving the Benton project, which 
geographically belongs in the valley of the Columbia, to be watered 
from the Columbia River. 

67. This plan interferes somewhat with the proposed Kittitas unit 
in that the acreage under it will have to be reduced. The Benton 
unit will also have to be reduced, and the cost of placing it under 
irrigation, as well as the subsequent cost of operation and mainte- 
nance, will be largely increased. 

68. The high-line plan was advocated generally by the residents of 
the upper valley and opposed by those in the vicinity of Kennewick, 
who claim that in the adjustment of low- water rights concessions 
were made on the assumption that the Benton project as originally 
outlined would be carried out. 

69. The data available are not sufficient upon which to base a defi- 
nite opinion as to the feasibility of the high line either from an 
engineering or economic standpoint. 

70. Even if found to be feasibile, its advisability is questionable, as 
it will probably add 75 per cent to the cost of irrigating the public 
land in the Benton unit and probably double the cost of operation 
and maintenance. As the primary object of the reclamation act is 
the irrigation of public lands, the interests of the Government would 
seem to lie in irrigating the Benton unit in the cheapest possible 
manner, though, on the other hand, it may be advantageous to sacri- 
fice the interests of the United States in its own lands for the good 
that may result to the Yakima Valley as a whole. 

SUMMARY. 

1. The entire project, both water supply and irrigable land, lies 
within the State of Washington. 



FUND 'FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 149 

2. As outlined, it covers 481,000 acres of land, of which 13 per cent 
is public land subject to the reclamation act. All but 13,000 acres of 
this public land lies in the proposed Benton unit. 

3. The water supply as regulated by the proposed reservoir system 
is sufficient for the above acreage if the assumed duty of water on the 
different units proves to be sufficient. There is an assured supply for 
the Sunnyside, Tieton, and Wapato units herein recommended. 

4. The Sunnyside unit contains 100,000 acres, of which 1,346 acres 
are public land subject to the reclamation act. It is feasible from 
an engineering and economic standpoint. The estimated total cost is 
$3,150,000, the unit cost being $52 an acre. Sixty per cent of the 
work has been done and due regard for the investment already made 
renders its completion advisable, except possibly the pumping plants. 
If authority is granted by Congress for the sale of surplus water it 
may be advantageous to leave the installation of the pumping plants 
to private enterprise, as only 15 per cent of the land involved is 
public land. 

5. The Tieton unit contains 34,500 acres, of which 2,034 acres are 
public land. It is feasible from an engineering and economic stand- 
point. The estimated total cost is $3,185,000, th.e unit cost being $93 
an acre. Eighty per cent of the work has been done. In order that 
the investment already made may be returned to the reclamation 
fund its completion is advisable. Such action, however, should be 
contingent upon the water users' association first increasing the par 
value of its stock to not less than $93 an acre. 

6. The proposed Kittitas unit contains 67,000 acres, of which less 
than 7 per cent is public land. It is feasible from an engineering and 
economic standpoint. The estimated cost is $4,600,000, the unit cost 
being $75 an acre. Owing to the limited amount of public land and 
the large amount of uncompleted work on other projects where the 
Federal interests are larger, it is not advisable to undertake the Kitti- 
tas unit except to supply the necessary stored water should this 
course be authorized by law. 

7. The Wapato unit contains 114,000 acres of land all in private 
ownership. Most of the owners, however, are Indians whose lands 
can not be disposed of without the consent of the United States. It is 
feasible from an engineering and economic standpoint. The esti- 
mated cost is $4,205,000, the unit cost being $37 an acre. While there 
is no public land in the strict sense of that term, most of the private 
owners are wards of the nation, and for this reason it is advisable to 
undertake the irrigation of this area when funds become available. 

8. Information concerning the Benton unit is too meager to war- 
rant a definite opinion as to its feasibility. Even if found to be feas- 
ible, its development can advantageously be postponed pending the 
completion of work on the Sunnyside, Tieton, and Wapato units. 
Surveys, however, should be made to determine the probable cost of 
irrigating it by gravity from the Yakima River. 

9. The proposed High Line as a private enterprise is dependent 
upon the United States furnishing stored water for which there is no 
present authority of law. The estimated cost of the High Line is 
$26,000,000, and it is extremely doubtful whether the necessary capi- 
tal can be raised for an irrigation enterprise of this magnitude ; nor 
with the great demand for funds on other projects, involving public 



150 FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

]and, is it advisable for the United States to undertake this work 
with reclamation funds. Further, until the cost of irrigating the 
Benton unit, in accordance with the original plans, is ascertained, 
it is recommended that no action be taken that will obligate the 
Reclamation Service to furnish stored water for the High Line 
project. 

10. A general system of storage in this valley should be developed 
and controlled by some central power ? even though the delivery of 
water to the land in some of the units is left to private capital. Due 
to the large interests of the United States in this valley, both by 
reason of expenditures already made, as well as those herein recom- 
mended, a storage system as now planned should be developed with 
reclamation funds at a rate that will keep pace with the demand. 

11. The following allotments are recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive : 

For Sunnyside unit (from the loan) $1, 250, 000 

For Tieton unit (from the loan) G65, 000 

Total 1, 915, 000 



Section XXVI. 

SHOSHONE PROJECT, WYOMING. 

1. On August 10 the board inspected the Shoshone Dam and water- 
storage system; on August 11 the lands under the high line and Gar- 
land-Frannie Canals, the Oregon Basin, diverting dam, tunnel, reser- 
voir, canals, laterals, and other constructions. A public hearing was 
held at Cody, Wyo., on the evening of August 10. 

2. Location. — The lands to be irrigated lie on both sides of the 
Shoshone River in northern Wyoming, east of Yellowstone Park. 
The water is taken from the Shoshone River, a branch of the Big 
Horn River, just below the junction of the north and south forks. 
The land and water supply are entirely within the State of Wyoming. 
The general elevation is about 4,500 feet. A branch of the Chicago, 
Burlington & Quincy Railroad passes through the north-side lands. 

3. Description. — The project as proposed and partially constructed 
consists of a large dam and storage reservoir in the Shoshone Canyon 
and of the diverting systems, tunnels, main canals, and laterals. 

4. The dam is practically completed. It is 328.4 feet above the 
lowest point of foundation, the width at bottom 108 feet, at top 10 
feet, length at top 200 feet, radius of center line at top 150 feet. 
There is a spillway 300 feet long, discharging through a tunnel 20 
feet square and 400 feet long, excavated in granite ; and the discharge 
is regulated by tunnels and pipes at different elevations. The dam is 
constructed of concrete in which large bowlders are embedded. In 
case additional storage or additional head proves desirable, it is pro- 
posed by the Reclamation Service to increase the height of the dam. 
The cost of the dam to June 30, 1910, was $978,466.01, at which time 
the dam was almost completed. These items do not include cost of 
lands overflowed, amounting to $184,458.23, nor the cost of the canyon 
road, $105,191.51, necessary to the construction of the dam. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 151 

5. The distributing system, as projected, consists of three main 
canals, as follows: 

(a) The high-line canal starting at the reservoir, irrigating lands 
lying north of the river in the general vicinity of the towns of Cody, 
Corbett, and Eagle Nest. No work has been done on this canal. 

(b) The Garland-Frannie Canal, irrigating land on the north side 
of the river from the town of Ralston to Frannie. Water for the 
Garland-Frannie unit is diverted at a point on the river 15 miles 
below the reservoir by the Corbett Dam, a concrete structure 400 feet 
long and 18.1 feet high. The water is then carried in a concrete-lined 
tunnel, 17,355 feet long with a capacity of 1,000 second-feet, and 
emptied into a basin formed by closing a natural depression with an 
earth dam. At this point begins the main Garland-Frannie Canal, 
which has a capacity of 1,000 second-feet and is completed for a dis- 
tance of 18 miles. At about 7 miles from its head it passes through 
the Ralston reservoir, which serves to equalize the flow and will 
probably also serve as a source of water supply for the town of 
Ralston. It is expected that about 1,000 horsepower may be devel- 
oped on this canal. This unit is about 75 per cent completed. 

(c) The Willwood Canal, irrigating lands south of the river, will 
take water by a diversion dam or other means at a point about 21 
miles below the reservoir. No work has been done on this canal. 

6. Water supply. — The run-off of the Shoshone River above the 
dam is relatively uniform as far as records go, and varies from 
975,000 to 1,506.000 acre-feet per annum. The storage reservoir will 
impound 456,000 acre-feet. As the irrigation season includes the 
times of maximum run-off, practically the entire flow can be used for 
irrigation. On the basis of a duty of 3 acre-feet at the reservoir 
and 2 acre-feet at the farm, 344,000 acres could be irrigated, including 
private irrigation projects. There are a number of private filings 
on the unregulated flow of this river, some antedating and some sub- 
sequent to those of the United States. There are no private filings 
on the storage water and practically none on the North Fork, which 
carries double the water of the South Fork. It seems assured that 
there is sufficient water to irrigate the 164,000 acres of land included 
in this project. A discussion of the water rights and filings is 
appended. The duty of water is taken as 2 feet at the farm. This 
is thought to be sufficient. 

7. Land. — The total amount of irrigable land included in the proj- 
ect is given in the annual reports at 132,000 acres, of which 123,000 
acres are public, 7.680 acres State and school, and 1,220 acres private 
land. The public land will not be opened to settlement until water 
is available. The land has not been completely surve}^ed, and the 
assumed amount of irrigable land is therefore approximate. In a 
recent statement of the supervising engineer, based on later surveys 
and relocation of some of the canals, he estimates the total amount of 
irrigable land in the project at 164,000 acres, including 7,500 acres to 
be supplied by pumping from the high-line canal. The proportion 
of public land is about the same. 

8. In 1899 Col. W. F. Cody and Mr. Nate Salisbury prepared for 
the irrigation, under the Carey Act, of land lying on the north bank 
of the river immediately below the canyon, and applied for water to 
irrigate 120,000 acres. This was subsequently limited by the State 



152 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

engineer to about 65,000 acres. No constructions were made, and in 
1904 all water rights were transferred to the United States. 

9. Under the high-line unit there are 36,500 acres to 40,000 acres, 
under the Garland-Frannie unit 73,000 acres to 86,622 acres, and un- 
der the Willwood unit 22,500 acres to 30,000 acres. Under the com- 
pleted part of the Garland-Frannie Canal 30,989 acres have been 
opened to settlement and about 3,200 acres near Ralston can be thrown 
open within a few months. Of this area, about 15,000 acres have 
been filed on and were under cultivation this year, leaving about 
16,000 acres, or 200 farm units, not yet taken up. The rate of filing 
has been about 100 farm units a year. The Government farm unit 
Is 40 to 80 acres, dependent on location. 

10. The soil is gravelly and sandy loam, and is generally shallow. 
In the low, flat parts drainage is necessary. Results from the farms 
cultivated in the Government project, and also under a private ditch 
in the vicinity of Cody on the south side of the river, indicate that 
good crops can be raised. The main crops are oats, wheat, potatoes, 
alfalfa, etc., with a tendency toward the greater cultivation of alfalfa. 
Good prices have been obtained, and the settlers appear well satisfied 
with conditions this year. These crops are not of a nature to warrant 
a high construction or operating cost. Dry farming is not successful. 
The rainfall on the irrigable area is from 6 to 10 inches. There are 
several Government town sites on the project. Powell is the principal 
town at the present time. 

11. In addition to the irrigable lands in the valley of the Shoshone 
River, there lies some five or six miles to the south of the valley a 
large area of good land known as the Oregon Basin, which can be 
irrigated from the Shoshone and which has water rights on the 
South Fork of that river. It is estimated to comprise about 125,000 
acres of irrigable land held under the Carey Act. Some work has 
been done in ditch construction by private parties, but the water 
supply has never been sufficient or satisfactory, no water having as 
yet been obtained from the South Fork. Water can be brought by 
tunnel from the Shoshone Reservoir. To do this work economically 
the height of the Shoshone Dam should be increased. It has been 
suggested that there be obtained from Congress the necessary author- 
ity to sell water to irrigate this basin, if detailed surveys show this 
plan to be feasible. This will reduce the cost of construction and 
operation in the Shoshone Valley project. 

12. Engineering structures. — The constructions on the Shoshone 
project are well designed and built, and of a permanent nature. For 
the high dam special study by an expert engineer employed for the 
purpose was made of the temperature and other strains, and based on 
Ms conclusions its design was made by a board composed of engineers 
of the Reclamation Service and consulting engineers. All the usual 
precautions seem to have been taken to secure a stable and enduring 
structure both in design and construction. 

! 13. Cost. — The total amount allotted to December 30, 1910, is 
$3,828,000. The estimated cost of completion, as submitted to the 
k)ard by the Reclamation Service, is $3,411,000, making a total cost 
for the project of $7,239,000. The estimate of completion is divided 
as follows: 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 153 

Garland-Frannie unit $650, 000 

Willwood unit 1, 000, 000 

High-line unit 1, 500, 000 

Contingencies, maintenance, etc 261, 000 

Total 3, 411, 000 

14. The Garland-Frannie unit estimate, including simply exten- 
sions of ditches and laterals, may be taken as reasonably accurate. 
Test pits have been dug along the high-line canal but the structures 
necessary to bring water out of the canyon and the structures for the 
Willwood unit have not been designed, and these estimates must be 
considered approximate. The chief engineer of the Reclamation Serv- 
ice has submitted a revised estimate of completion of $4,000,000. In 
A r iew of certain changes in the plan so as to include more land within 
the project, it seems safe to adopt this increase, making the total esti- 
mated cost of the project $7,828,000. 

15. On this assumption and of a land area of 132,000 acres under 
the project, the cost per acre would be $59.23. If a total area of 
164,000 acres can be irrigated, the cost would be $47.70. The an- 
nounced cost of construction on farm lands already thrown open is 
$45 for 15,237 acres and $46 for 15,662 acres, a total amount of 
$1,406,117, leaving a remainder of $6,421,883 to be borne by new units. 
On the basis of a total of 132,000 acres of irrigable land in the whole 
project, this would bring the cost of construction of each remaining 
acre to $63.51. If the total amount of land is 164,000 acres it would 
be $48.20 per acre. It may prove possible to sell surplus water to 
private companies, if allowable under the law, thus reducing the cost 
per acre. 

16. Having in view the nature of the soil and climate, and the kind 
of crops raised, a cost of construction of over $50 per acre it is thought 
would not lead to the rapid settling of this country. It would there- 
fore be desirable to include as much land as possible in the project to 
reduce the cost per acre. 

17. The cost of maintenance and operation has been $1 per acre. 
It is expected when more land is opened to reduce this to about 75 cents. 
This is thought to be reasonable and within what the land can bear. 
The present annual cost of maintenance and operation is not now re- 
turned because of the small number of units opened ; and the deficit, 
it is understood, will be charged against new units. The estimated 
returns to December, 1910, are about $225,000. 

18. The cost of construction is in excess of the first estimates, due to 
increase in price of material and labor, unforeseen difficulties, damage 
by floods, etc. The high dam, the necessary length of tunnels and 
supply canals make the cost per acre high. 

19. Comments. — The completion of the Garland-Frannie unit will 
open from 42,101 to 55,700 additional acres. The estimated addi- 
tional cost, including the proportion of maintenance and contingen- 
cies, is from $700,000 to $800,000. As this relatively small additional 
cost will bring a large area under irrigation, it is thought desirable 
to do the work necessary to open the complete unit as rapidly as land 
is taken up. 

20. The construction of the high-line canal will irrigate, it is esti- 
mated, 36,500 acres to 40,000 acres, and the pumping unit an addi- 



154 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

tional 7,500 acres. The estimated cost is $1,620,000 to $2,000,000. 
The land to be irrigated by the canal lies on the benches above the 
river, extending from the canyon down. It appears to be of the same 
general character as the remainder of the project. The irrigable land 
lies well and can be readily drained. There will be, however, consid- 
erable waste land. A reason for the early construction of this canal 
lies in the fact of its being largely part of the Cody-Salisbury tract 
turned over to the United States with a valuable water right. Part 
of the Cody-Salisbury tract is now irrigated under the Garland Canal, 
but much can be irrigated only by the high-line canal. 

21. The Willwood Canal, when .constructed, will irrigate 22,500 to 
30,000 acres, at an estimated cost of $1,100,000 to $1,300,000. The 
estimates are still indefinite. The character of the soil is similar to 
other tracts and the land lies well for irrigation and drainage. 

22. The estimates both of area of land irrigated and cost of con- 
struction under the high line and Willwood Canals are not sufficiently 
definite for satisfactory comparisons of cost per acre. It appears 
from the estimates of the Reclamation Service that the Willwood 
extension will be slightly more costly per acre than the land served 
by the high line. It lies somewhat better and has less waste land. 

23. It is thought that the high-line canal should be constructed 
before the Willwood on account of the conditions under which a large 
part of the water rights were acquired by the United States, the better 
existing railroad facilities, the approximate equal cost per acre, and 
the fact that the seepage water from the upper unit that returns to 
the river can be used on the lower lands. 

24. While the cost of the project per acre will be larger than at first 
estimated, and while, in order to recover the full amount, the cost 
reaches an amount per acre which, it is thought, will but slowly 
attract settlers, the board is of the opinion that the work should be 
completed. It is considered that this completion should be gradual, 
based on the rapidity with which the lands are taken up. That all of 
the lands will be ultimately entered appears probable. 

25. Summary. — (1) The completion of the project is feasible from 
an engineering and an economic standpoint. 

(2) The lands and water supply are all within the State of Wyo- 
ming. 

(3 The water supply is sufficient for the whole project. 

(4) The total amount of land is about 164,00 acres. One per cent 
of this is private land and 10 per cent State or school land. The 
remainder is subject to the reclamation act. 

(5) Of the total estimated cost of $7,828,000, about one-half has 
been expended. 

(6) The storage system for the whole amount of land is practically 
completed. 

(7) Further expenditures will be used to extend the distribution 
system. 

(8) Only about 35,000 acres can be irrigated without further ex- 
tensions. 

(9) The land can bear the cost of construction, estimated at about 
$50 per acre. 

(10) The board believes the project to be worthy, and recommends 
that the completion of the Garland-Frannie Canal system be first 



FUND FOB RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 155 

undertaken, followed by the high line and then the Willwood Canals, 
and that the rate of work should depend on the rapidity with which 
lands are taken up. As the cost will reach so closely what it is 
thought the land can stand for construction charges, and as the water 
supply is indicated as sufficient, the full amount of 164,000 acres 
should, if practicable, be brought into the project. 

(11) The following allotment is recommended for the four years 
1911-1914, inclusive : 
From the fund $2, 000, 000 



APPENDIXES. 



Appendix to Section V. 

GRAND VALLEY PROJECT. 

WATEB SUPPLY. 
[By the project engineer.] 

1. The Central Colorado Power Co. contemplates the construction of storage 
reservoirs to maintain the flow through their power plant near Glenwood 
Springs at 1,250 second-feet. The dotted line on the hydrograph shows the 
estimated effect on the Palisade flow due to such use of stored water in 1902. 
This shows that 1,600 second-feet may be expected as a minimum when such 
storage is developed. 

2. There is now pending in the Mesa County courts the first adjudication of 
the water rights of the irrigation ditches in this water district. No decrees 
have been entered and only a few of the ditches have as yet filed their state- 
ments of claim. No report is expected from the referee before March, 1911. 
From the records of the water filings and data concerning the flow in the 
various ditches, and the acreage irrigated, the following liberal estimate of 
the different priorities which will probably be decreed has been formulated. 

3. The ditches are listed in the order in which their head gates are located 
along the river. 



Priority 
No. 



Power 

water. 



Irriga- 
tion 
water. 



Orchard Mesa irrigation district.. 

Government high line 

Mesa County irrigation district.. 

Palisades irrigation district 

East Palisades irrigation district. 

Grand Valley Irrigation Co 

Rose Point filing 

Orchard Mesa power 



Sec.-ft. 
325 
120 
377 
500 



100 
214 



Totals. 



1,636 



Sec.-ft. 

125 

1710 

2 31 

2 90 

10 

521 

«6 

10 



1,453 



i Fifty second-feet seepage returns to river above next head gate. 

2 Power water based on 40 per cent total efficiency of turbines and pumps. 

« Doubtful. 

* Abandoned to the United States. 

4. The Orchard Mesa irrigation district power water is returned to the river 
at the Grand Valley head gates, and the high line power water will be returned 
a short distance below the East Palisades intake. No other power water is 
carried by the canal past any canal intake. 

5. With priorities as above the supply of water lawfully available for the 
high line is estimated as follows for different conditions : 

6. First, assuming that the United States depends on its own filings and 
acquires no additional priorities, then the high line would draw a full head 
until the flow in the river fell to 1,798 second-feet. As the river continued to 

157 



158 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

fall the head in the canal would decrease and be shut off entirely when the 
river flow was less than 1,018 second-feet. 

7. This use of the river necessitates the wasting of 577 second-feet past the 
last canal intake when all canals are running full capacity. 

8. Second, either of the two locations proposed for the high line can supply 
water by gravity to the canal of the Palisades irrigation district, and it is 
generally believed that the courts will allow the United States to condemn and 
use their power water for irrigation if the flow in their ditch is maintained. 
On this basis the high line would draw a full head until the river fell to 1,536 
second-feet, and would be reduced to 90 second-feet wheri the river fell below 
876 second-feet. It would be entitled to draw water for the Palisades district 
lands with the river running between 866 and 776 second-feet. Under this 
arrangement 1,788 second-feet would have to flow to supply all priorities and 
341 feet would be wasted. 

9. Third, if the United States acquired the power water of the Smith 
Bros.' Orchard Mesa power canal in addition to that of the Palisades dis- 
trict, the high line would draw its full head with the river carrying 1,322 
second-feet and cease to draw except for the Palisades district and Smith Bros, 
when the supply fell below 662 second-feet; 301 feet of power water would be 
wasted past the Grand Valley head gate in this case. 

10. Fourth, in case the Government acquired the Mesa County district's filing 
for power as well as those of the Palisades district and Smith Bros.', the high 
line would still draw water at the same times as noted in the third case, but no 
water would be wasted, and the Orchard Mesa district could get a full head 
when there was 301 feet less water in the river. 

11. Some anxiety has been felt by the people interested in the Grand Valley 
that eastern slope users might get a valid right to the use of some of the Grand 
River waters which are required on the western slope during times of low flow. 
The four appropriations that have been filed to divert water from the Grand 
River to the eastern slope amount to 3,876 second-feet. One claimant has built 
capacity to divert 48 second-feet and is diverting 12. So far as known, the 
remaining three appropriators have done no work. Investigation of available 
data relating to the watershed and run-off from the drainage basins concerned 
would indicate that it is impossible for these claimants to divert in excess of 
6 per cent of the low flow of the Grand River at Palisades. It is believed that 
the feasibility of the Grand Valley project will be recognized, and that the 
project will be completed and in operation, and an adequate water right per- 
fected before the demand for land and water on the eastern slope will justify 
the cost of building the necessary diversion tunnels to carry water from the 
Grand River across the Continental Divide. 

12. It is apparent that if the rights of the Palisades and Mesa County dis- 
tricts and of the Smith Bros, are turned over to the Government, that the 
available water supply will be adequate to fully supply all canals at all times 
except during July and August of exceptionally dry years. During those 
months less water is demanded by the crops than earlier in the season, and part 
of this demand is in normal years supplied by rainfall. 

13. It is estimated that about 70,000 acres are under cultivation in the Grand 
River watershed above Palisades. As a rule further development of irrigable 
lands in this territory will necessitate the storing of water, and in consequence 
a probable increase in the low-water flow in the river. 

DUTY OF WATEB. 

14. The duty of water used in estimating the project's requirements has been 
figured at 100 acres per second-foot at the lateral head gate, or (allowing 20 
per cent seepage and evaporation) 80 acres per second-foot at the controlling 
works above Palisades. 

15. Records of the daily flow in the Grand Valley, Price, and Stub ditches 
have been kept by the Reclamation Service for the last two years. At no time 
has the duty been less than 80 acres per second-foot 



.FUND FOE KECLAMATION OF AKID LANDS. 159 

Appendix to Section VI. 

UNCOMPAHGRE PROJECT. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

1. The water supply for this project is obtained from the Unconipahgre and 
Gunnison rivers, part of the flow of the latter being diverted through a tunnel 
of 1,300 second-feet capacity. 

2. Discharge measurements of the Uncompahgre at the southern boundary of 
the project during the irrigating season are available for the period July, 1895, 
to September, 1899, and show a flow varying from 3,375 second-feet in May, 
1896, to a •minimum of 4 second-feet in September, 1899, with mean discharges, 
in second-feet, for the irrigating months as follows : April, 330 ; May, 670 ; June, 
725 ; July, 360 ; August, 140 ; September, 103 ; October, 109. 

3. Similar measurements for the period 1903-1910 are also available, and show 
a maximum flow of 1,870 second-feet in July, 1907, and a minimum of 67 
second-feet in April, 1904, with mean discharges, in second-feet, for the irri- 
gating months as follows : April, 250 ; May, 500 ; June, 890 ; July, 516 ; August, 
340; September, 206; October, 155. 

4. For 1902 one reading only is available, and this shows a flow of 63 second- 
feet on July 17, which probably decreased to nothing during August. 

5. Discharge measurements of the Gunnison River were made at Iola, Colo., 
1900 to 1903, at Whitewater, 1902, at Cimarron and Cory, 1903-1905, and at 
the river portal of the Gunnison Tunnel, 1905-1910. 

6. Iola is above the river portal and above two important tributaries, the 
Lake Fork and the Cimarron River. Cimarron is at the junction of the Gunni- 
son and Cimarron rivers, below any considerable tributaries and above the 
tunnel entrance. 

7. Whitewater is over 100 miles below the intake of the tunnel, and Cory is 
30 odd miles below the tunnel intake. 

8. During the period 1905-1910 the flow varied from a maximum of 14,660 
second-feet in June, 1905, to a minimum of 470 second-feet in September of the 
same year, with mean discharges, in second-feet, for the irrigating months, as 
follows: April, 2,174; May, 5,145; June, 7,704; July, 3,107; August, 1,502; 
September, 940; October, 917. 

9. There are numerous appropriations of the waters of these rivers that ante- 
date those of the Reclamation Service. On the upper Gunnison, above the 
tunnel portal, they aggregate 1,815 second-feet. It is not known whether this 
amount is being beneficially used, but owing to high altitudes (7,400 feet to 
8,000 feet), which largely limit the crops to wild and timothy hay and to 
restricted irrigable areas, no increased use of water above the tunnel is prob- 
able even though authorized by decreed priorities. 

10. On the Gunnison below the tunnel the prior appropriations aggregate 
1,835 second-feet. Part of this amount will be supplied by return waters from 
the project and the remainder, about 100 second-feet, will have to be passed 
by the tunnel entrance, unless it can be supplied from tributaries entering below 
this point. 

11. On the Uncompahgre, the appropriations below the point at which dis- 
charge measurements were taken aggregate 1,589 second-feet, but it is the 
expectation that before completion of the project all of these filings, together 
with the lands to which they pertain, will be absorbed and become a part of 
the project. 

DUTY OF WATER. 

12. The average rainfall at Montrose is about 9 inches, and the project is 
based upon supplying from the ditches 3 acre-feet of water per acre, which, 
with a seepage and evaporation loss in the distribution systems of 30 per cent, 
corresponds to a diversion duty of 4.2 acre-feet per acre. 

13. The assumed, in acre-feet, demand for water measured at points of 
diversion and based on an irrigable area of 140,000 acres, is as follows: April, 
83,000; May, 105,000; June, 106,000; July, 107,000; August, 88,000; September, 
57,000; October, 41,000. 

14. Such a demand requires a minimum flow of nearly 1,800 second-feet, 
and can only be supplied when the tunnel is running full and when the flow 
In the Uncompahgre aggregates 500 second-feet, 



160 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



15. As the July flow of the Uncompahgre frequently falls below 500 second* 
feet, it will be necessary at such times to reduce the deliveries below that 
assumed. This, however, will not occasion a serious shortage, as, in the opinion 
of the board, a duty of 2.5 acre-feet per acre at the farm will fulfill all reason- 
able requirements. 

16. By plotting the combined supply curves of the two rivers against the 
assumed demand curve, it is found that during the period 1903-1910, the follow- 
ing shortage would have occurred : 



Years. 



If all water 
is avail- 
able for 

diversion. 



If 100 

second-feet 

are passed 

to satisfy 

priorities. 



1903. 
1904. 
1905. 
1908. 
19101 



32,000 
18,000 
18,000 
10,000 
7,000 



41,000 
24,000 
35,000 
16,000 
16,000 



i To September 1, 1910. 

17. These shortages are not serious, and if they represented the worst con- 
ditions it is questionable whether the expense of providing storage to overcome 
them would be warranted. 

18. It appears, however, that in 1902 the flow of both the Gunnison and 
the Uncompahgre Rivers was much less than in any year since. Unfortunately, 
complete hydrographic data for 1902 are not available, but based upon the 
measured run-off of the Gunnison at Whitewater, 100 miles below the tunnel 
intake, storage to the extent of 125,000 acre-feet would have been required to 
maintain a constant flow of 1,300 second-feet up to September 25, and con- 
siderably more would have been required to maintain such a flow at the 
tunnel. 

19. Present plans contemplate the storage of 105,000 acre-feet in a reservoir 
to be built at Taylor Park, in the headwaters of the Gunnison. This storage 
will provide a full supply for all but years df abnormally low run-off, such 
as 1902, and a reasonable supply for even very low years. 

20. No suitable storage reservoirs have been found on the Uncompahgre. 



Appendix No. 1 to Section VII. 

MINIDAKO PROJECT. 



1. Minidoka Diverting and Reservoir Dam. — The dam, which occupies the 
main channel of the Snake River, is rock and earth fill, with concrete cut-off 
wall of varying height extending from abutment to abutment. The crest 
of the dam is straight in plan, with a maximum height as modified of 86 feet 
above the foundation and a length of 650 feet. The rock fill forming the 
lower or downstream portion of the dam is 10 feet wide on top, with upstream 
side slopes of 1 on 1 and downstream side slopes of 1£ to 1. The earth fill 
forming the upstream portion of the dam is 10 feet wide on top, giving a total 
width of the crest of 20 feet, the side slope of the reservoir side being 3 on 1. 
The foundation is solid rock, and all loose bowlders, etc., were removed. This 
dam is in process of completion and so far has shown but little leakage, which 
apparently comes through a seam in the foundation rock. 

2. The left abutment of the dam, of concrete, forms the beginning of the 
concrete spillway, and the right abutment forms the left end of the regulating 
works, 180 feet in length. These regulating works consist of five sluiceways, 
each controlled by 8 by 12 feet sliding gates, the sills being 48 feet below the 
spillway crest, the sluiceways being excavated in the rock. Above the sluice- 
ways in this section are the penstock openings for the power development. 
To the right of the regulating works are the headworks of the main canal 
for the north side unit, while the head gates and regulating works for the south 
side main canal are at the left end of the spillway. They are both controlled 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 1G1 

by sliding cast-iron gates of the usual pattern. There are 9 gates on the north 
side, each 5 by 7 feet, with sills 9.5 feet below spillway crest. On the south 
side there are 12 gate openings, each 5 by 6 feet, with sills 6 feet below the 
original elevation of the spillway crest. 

3. The spillway, lying between the main dam and the headworks of the 
south-side canal, is 2,400 feet in total development. It consisted originally of 
a concrete wier varying in height from to 14 feet, following the high part 
of the rock bottom of the river, and was designed to pass 50,000 second-feet, 
with a maximum depth of water of 5 feet, over it. Owing to the fact that 
the main storage of this project is to be at Jackson Lake, some 275 miles by 
river above this dam, and to the fact that a large portion of the storage 
water released from the storage dam at Jackson Lake might be diverted by 
private users between the two points if their canals were staked too early 
in the season, it became desirable to divide the storage between the two 
points, thus enabling the river between the two points to obtain its natural 
flow and the private canals to be staked at low state of river before it becomes 
necessary to draw water from the upper reservoir. To accomplish this the divert- 
ing dam was converted into a storage dam of about 52,000 acre-feet capacity 
by raising the main dam, and by constructing on the crest of the spillway 
piers 2 feet thick, 8 feet high, 7 feet from center to center, their tops being con- 
nected by a bridge, and having arrangements by which fiashboards may be placed 
on the crest, enabling the water surface to be raised 5 feet. The cost of this 
work was $29,000. When the additional head of water was brought upon the 
main dam, the material of which had been hydraulicked into place, additional 
material and height had to be added to the dam. This work was in progress 
at the time of the board's inspection, and its estimated cost is $22,000. On the 
south side, the relatively low ground of the bank at the shore end of the 
regulating works was raised by an embankment about 1,000 feet long, having 
a maximum height of 16 feet. It is 20 feet wide on top, and constructed of 
earth and rock fill in the same manner as the main dam. Both the dam and 
this embankment have a riprap protection on water slope where exposed to 
wave action. 

4. The plan for this project now contemplates pumping by electricity to three 
different levels to supply high lands, the water to be supplied by the main south 
side canal, the pumping plants to be located near its extremity. The power for 
the pumping plants is to be supplied by a generating station at the Minidoka 
dam. This power plant has been constructed in part and will be completed 
during the ensuing year. It consists essentially of the following : 

5. A hydro-electric power development having a capacity of 10,000 horse- 
power; 31 miles of 33,000-volt, three-phase transmission line, and 3 pumping 
stations, where the power is used in raising water for the irrigation of approxi- 
mately 50,000 acres of land. Power for general purposes will also be supplied 
to the towns on the project some time before November 1, 1910. 

6. Power house. — The power house is of reenforced concrete, 150 feet long 
and 50 feet wide, and is built against the downstream side of the concrete struc- 
ture or dam containing the regulating works across the diversion channel. 
Extension to nearly double the present capacity of the plant can be easily made. 

7. The buttresses of this concrete dam are built on 18-foot centers, forming 
bays, in each of which is a 10-foot penstock opening. Five of these bays will be 
utilized for the installation of the five 2,000 horsepower units of the present 
equipment ; another bay contains the two exciter units ; and the remaining bays 
included in the power house will be required in case of future extension. 

8. Main units. — Each of the main units consists of a 2,000 horsepower verti- 
cal turbine, direct connected to a 1,490 kilovolt-ampere, three-phase alternator. 
The turbines are placed on the lowest floor of the power house, the center lines 
of the runners being 16 feet above mean tail water surface. 

9. The generators are located on the main or generator floor of the plant. 
They generate three-phase current at 2,300 volts, 60 cycles, and have a rated 
capacity of 1,490 kilovolt-amperes. 

10. Exciters. — Two 120 kilowatt exciters direct connected to 180 horsepower 
turbines furnish 125-volt exciting current for the main generators. Each ex- 
citer has its individual governor system, but all of the governors of the main 
units get their oil pressure from a central oil system, which is provided with a 
duplicate outfit of motor-driven gear oil pumps and pressure tanks. 

11. Transformers. — Each generator is provided with a 1,490 kilovolt-ampere, 
2,300 to 33,000 volt, three-phase air-blast transformer, connected to the generator 

72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 11 



162 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

terminals by disconnecting switches so that each generator and its transformer 
form a unit delivering 33,000-volt, three-phase current to the high-tension bus. 

12. Switchboard. — The plant is controlled from a switchboard located on an 
extension of the transformer gallery across the north end of the plant. This 
switchboard contains a panel for each generating unit and line and one pauel 
for the two exciters. The highest voltage brought to this board is that of the 
exciters, which is 110. 

13. Transmission line. — The present transmission line consists of a single cir- 
cuit of copper wire run on wooden poles spaced approximately 150 feet apart. 
The line runs southwest from the dam, following the general direction of the 
main north side gravity canal and the Minidoka & Southwestern Railroad, to the 
Heyburn substation, a distance of 19 miles. From a point 10 miles from the 
dam a branch runs due south to pumping station No. 1, crossing the Snake 
River by a span 150 feet in length supported by steel towers. The poles on this 
part of the line are spaced 250 feet apart. The second transmission line will be 
built early in 1911. This line will cross the river near the dam and run directly 
to the pumping stations. 

14. Pumping stations. — At the lower end of the south side gravity canal, is lo- 
cated the first pumping plant, having under the present plan a capacity of 500 
second-feet. A portion of this 500 second-feet is diverted for use in the " G " 
canal, which supplies an area of 10,982 acres, while the remainder is elevated 
a second time at station No. 2. This station has a capacity of 375 second-feet. 
A portion of this water is diverted for use under the " H " canal, irrigating 
15,922 acres, while the remainder is again lifted at a pumping station No. 3. 
This plant has a capacity of 200 second-feet and delivers water to the "J" 
canal, which supplies 23,414 acres of land. The lift at each station is 30 feet. 

15. The three pumping plants follow very closely the same general design so 
that a description of one will suffice for all three. All of the buildings are 
of reenforced concrete with reen forced concrete roofs. 

16. Station No. 1. — Pumping station No. 1 has a total length of 121 feet, the 
pump end of the building being 18 by 71 feet, and the part which covers the 
electrical apparatus being 30 by 50 feet in plan. The pump end will contain 
four 125 second-feet, double-suction, vertical, centrifugal pumps, each one 
of which is mounted in a separate compartment or pit at such an elevation 
that the top suction is normally submerged. Each pump is direct connected 
to a 000-horsepower vertical, 3-phase, 2,200-volt, synchronous motor operating 
at 300 revolutions per minute. In each station space is provided for one addi- 
tional pump of 75 second-foot capacity, this space to be utilized should such 
additional capacity prove desirable or necessary. 

17. Current is supplied to the motors by air-blast transformers, one 590 kilo- 
volt-ampere transformer being provided for each pump. These transformers 
receive current at 30,000 volts from the high-tension bus, and deliver it to the 
low-tension bus at 2,200 volts. The wiring is so arranged that any one or all 
the transformers may be used with any motor. Two induction motor-driven 
exciters, either of which is of sufficient capacity to excite all of the motors, 
are conveniently located close to the switchboard. The switchboard contains 
one panel for each motor and one for the two exciters, besides panels for the 
auxiliary apparatus. 

18. Commercial-power substations. — Provision has been made for supplying 
power to distributing companies in Rupert, Heyburn, and Burley. A trans- 
former station at Rupert will supply that town, and one on the Snake River 
near Heyburn will supply both Heyburn and Burley. These two substations 
are identical in design and are of reenforced concrete structure, approxi- 
mately 20 by 30 feet in plan. The stations are designed to receive power at 
30.000 volts and deliver it to local distributing circuits at 2,200 volts. Each 
station contains three 75-kilowatt, oil-cooled transformers protected by expul- 
sion fuses. A switchboard panel controls the circuit for each town, and 
lightning arresters are provided for both high and low tension circuits. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



163 



Appendix No. 2 to Section VII. 

MINIDOKA PROJECT. 

1. Water supply. — The water supply for the project is taken from the Snake 
River, having a watershed area above the diversion dam of about 22,600 
square miles. The average elevation of the water shed is about 6,000 feet 
above sea level, and the estimated average rainfall is about 21 inches. 

2. The duty of water for the project is estimated at 3 acre-feet per acre 
measured on the land. 

3. The mean annual run-off of the Snake River at the Minidoka Dam is about 
6,000,000 acre-feet, the maximum being about 7,500,000, and the minimum about 
3,800,000. 

4. Below is given a table showing the mean discharge in second-feet of the 
Snake River at the Minidoka Dam during the irrigation season for several 
years prior to the time when stored water was turned down the river: 

Mean discharge, in second-feet, Snake River, oelow American Falls* 



Year. 


Apr. 


May. 


June. 


July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


1896 


5,241 
7,678 
8,629 
6,028 


9,357 
32,863 
17, 658 
12, 187 
23,020 
10, 300 
10,170 
24,520 

8,925 
14, 400 
21,800 


39,551 
30, 399 
20, 936 
29, 142 
15, 700 
18, 200 
19,813 
28. 200 
10,910 
21,300 
29, 300 


13,341 
10,740 

9,142 
26, 270 

4,511 
10, 400 

9,674 
12, 970 

4,545 

9,000 
22,500 


5,450 
5,223 
4,498 
8,477 
2,115 
3,300 
3,228 
4,881 
1.976 
3.000 
7,600 


4,972 
4,982 
4,383 
5,813 
2,568 
3,900 
3,897 
5,576 
1,955 
3,700 
6,200 


4,975 


1897 


1S98 


4,818 


1899 


5,598 


1901 


4,600 


1902 


5,800 
7,023 
7,790 
5,780 
7,000 


5,550 


1903 


5,553 


1904 


5,778 


1905 : 


3,415 


1906 


5,300 


1907 


7,100 







Total run-off in acre-feet. 

Mean for eight years__^ 5, 900, 000 

Maximum 7, 300, 000 

Minimum 3, 800, 000 

5. Of these amounts the South Side Twin Falls project is entitled to 30/34 
up to 3,000 second-feet, and the North Side Twin Falls project to 4/34 up to 
400 second-feet, after which the Minidoka project is entitled to 1,726 second- 
feet under State engineer's permit dated January 6, 1909 (date of priority, 
Mar. 26, 1903). Other filings made for the Minidoka project on which no 
proof has yet been made are as follows: 

August 6, 1908, 3,000 second-feet for irrigation and domestic use; January 
30, 1909, 2,500 second-feet for power; March 10, 1910, 75,000 acre-feet for 
storage; March 10, 1910, 400,000 acre-feet for storage, all in Idaho, and on 
August 23, 1906, 300.000 acre-feet for storage in Wyoming, at Jackson Lake. 

6. The natural flow of the river is not sufficient to supply the needs of the 
project for the entire irrigation season during the low years, and this deficiency 
is supplied by storage at Lake Walcott and at Jackson Lake. At Lake Walcott 
storage works for 52,000 acre-feet are now constructed. This reservoir, located 
just above the diversion dam, also serves as an equalizing basin for the control 
of the water turned down from Jackson Lake. At Jackson Lake a temporary 
dam has been in use to store the necessary water for the last three years. Per- 
manent works for the storage of 380,000 acre-feet are now being built at that 
point. 

7. The low-water flow of the Snake River up to 3,400 second-feet must pass 
over the Minidoka Dam to supply the rights of the Twin Falls projects, which 
are located farther down the river. This amply protects the power filings for 
the Minidoka project for all time. 

8. In determining the storage required the following assumptions were made 
by the Reclamation Service and the result computed in the manner indicated: 

(1) That the minimum flow in the Snake River occurred in 1905. 



164 FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

(2) That at any time during the delivery of stored water the natural flow 
of the river can not be lawfully determined within 500 second-feet. 

(3) That 25 per cent of the stored water will cover the loss due to seepage, 
evaporation, and misappropriation of water by the Idaho Falls irrigation 
district. 

(Note. — This assumption is based upon actual measurements taken durjing 
summer of 1909.) 

(4) That 132,000 acres of land are to be irrigated by the Government. 

(5) That 1 second-foot per 80 acres of land must be delivered at the head 
gates of the Minidoka project (a total of 1,650 second-feet). 

(6) That the South Side Twin Falls Co. have prior rights up to 3,000 second- 
feet of natural river flow and that the North Side Twin Falls Co. have prior 
rights up to 400 second-feet of natural river flow. 

(7) That the reservoir at Lake Walcott will store 52,000 acre-feet of the total 
storage required by the project. 

(8) That 700 second-feet of water is returned to the river flow by seepage 
from the Minidoka project, according to measurements made in 1909. 

(9) That, though the legal irrigation season in Idaho extends from April 1 
to November 1, no stored water will be needed after October 10. 

9. Methods of computing. — The following lines were placed on the " Hydro- 
graph " of the Snake River at Montgomerys Ferry, which is located about 
6 miles below Minidoka diversion and storage dam : 

(1) A line representing the minimum flow at the Milner Dam — that is, 700 
second-feet greater than the minimum flow at Montgomerys Ferry — and ex- 
tending over the time that the river flow is less than 3,400 second-feet. Milner 
Dam is the diversion dam of the South Side Twin Falls project (private), ami 
is located about 5 miles below the lower limits of the project. 

(2) The 3,400 second-foot line which represents the lawfully natural river 
flow due the Twin Falls companies. 

(3) The 2,900 second-foot line covering errors in stream measurements under 
second assumption (3,400—500=2,900). 

(4) The 5,050 second-foot line which represents the flow required in the 
river to supply the necessary 1,650 second-feet of water for the Minidoka project 
and the 3,400 second-feet for the Twin Falls projects. 

10. The 5050 line shows that stored water must be delivered to the Minidoka 
project from July 11 to October 10, making 91 days. This shows a total of 
353,600 acre-feet, 52,000 acre-feet in Lake Walcott. Therefore, 301,600 plus 
25 per cent represents storage required in Jackson Lake Reservoir and equals 
376,000 acre-feet, say, 380,000. 

11. It will be noted — 

(1) That the assumed acreage exceeds that in the project by 7,500; 

(2) That the diversion of 1,650 second-feet for 193 days, April 1 to October 10, 
means the diversion of 636,900 acre-feet, or sufficient to provide 3 acre-feet per 
acre for 132,000 acres after deducting 37$ per cent for seepage and evaporation 
losses in the distribution system ; and 

(3) That provision is made for a loss of 500 second-feet during the delivery 
of stored water in addition to a 25 per cent loss for seepage, evaporation, and 
misappropriation. 

12. In the opinion of the board these assumptions are very liberal. In most 
projects no effort is made to fully provide for the year of lowest measured run- 
off, but rather for a mean of the years of low run-off on the assumption that a 
slight shortage in supply at infrequent intervals would be less objectionable than 
the cost of providing storage for years of extreme low run-off. 

13. While the storage provided on this project seems somewhat larger than 
necessary, it will probably prove to be a good investment if the project is ex- 
tended or if congressional authority is eventually obtained for the sale of surplus 
water. 

14. Attention is invited to the fact that storage filing in Wyoming is for 
300,000 acre-feet, while the capacity of Jackson Lake Dam is 380,000 acre-feet. 
It is suggested that an additional filing for 80,000 acre-feet be made. 



FUND FOE KECLAMATION OF ARID LANDSc 



165 



Appendix No. 1 to Section VIII. 



BOISE PROJECT. 

1. Deer Flat Reservoir embankments, upper and lower. — These embankments 
were visited by a committee of the board on September 9, 1910. By their con- 
struction a natural depression in the surface is converted into a reservoir with 
a total capacity of 186,000 acre-feet and an available capacity of 170,000 acre-feet. 
These embankments are both earth fill, the upper containing 932,200 cubic yards 
and the lower 936,600 cubic yards. The earth-fill type was adopted because no 
other suitable material was available and the foundations were not suitable for 
masonry construction. 

2. The general dimensions are as follows : 



• 


Upper 
embank- 
ment. 


Lower 
embank- 
ment. 


Height 


feet.. 


70 

4,000 

20 

3:1 
2:1 


40 


Length of crest 


do.... 


7,200 
20 


Wid th of crest 


do 


Side slopes: 

Reservoir side 


3*1 


Outer slope 


11:1 







3. The subsoil in the upper embankment is composed of about 4 feet of 
ordinary soil, then 3 or 4 feet of hardpan, after which sand and gravel were 
found to an indefinite depth. 

4. At the site of the lower embankment the soil is about 6 feet in depth with 
a somewhat thicker layer of hardpan, followed by sand and gravel. In each 
case a cut-off trench was constructed and filled with puddled earth, the remain- 
ing original surface being plowed in order to make good bond with the fill. 
The only arrangement for draining the reservoir is through the headworks of 
the canals forming the distribution system. These dams are both straight in 
plan; and the puddled ditch was carried up into the end slopes forming the 
abutments. There is no spillway, as it is proposed to control the water enter- 
ing the reservoir through the main supply canal. This reservoir is filled by 
the main supply canal, called the " New York Canal," leading from the diversion 
dam in the Boise River to where it discharges into Indian Creek. After fol- 
lowing Indian Creek about 9 miles the water is again diverted into a supply 
canal leading to the reservoir. The inlet works at the reservoir end of this 
supply canal is a concrete structure of the usual form, controlled by sliding 
gates, riprap protection being placed around the discharge to prevent scour. 
The outlet works to the distributing canals are located in both embankments. 
The upper dam has two sets of outlet gates, one set near each end. In one of 
these sets, a conduit is placed under the embankment and has the usual gate 
tower at the inner end. The capacity of the sliding cast-iron gates, of which 
there are four, is 650 second-feet. The outlet at the other end of the upper 
embankment is a simple conduit running under the embankment, controlled by 
a gate at the lower end, approximately 6 by 8 feet, with a capacity of 80 second- 
feet. In the lower embankment the discharge conduit lies under the embank- 
ment and is of concrete with the usual tower, etc., in the reservoir. It is con- 
trolled by sliding cast-iron gates of the ordinary type, and the delivery is about 
650 second-feet. 

5. In both embankments the earth fill was placed in layers, dampened and 
rolled. It is the purpose to place on the reservoir side of each embankment 
riprap protection, at present lacking. There will be needed to complete the 
reservoir another small embankment, not yet constructed, for closing a low place 
in the rim of the reservoir. 

6. The cost of the upper embankment was $302,777.51, and of the lower 
$288,590.09. In both cases this is exclusive of the general expense charges. In 
order to aid in irrigating lands during the season of 1910 water was diverted to 
the reservoir to a depth of 7 feet. As a result of this head no leakage was 
observed under the lower embankment, but leakage amounting to at least 1$ 
second-feet occurred under the upper embankment. To correct this leakage, 
which seemed to come through the subsoil, a blanket of gravel, 200 feet wide, 
12 feet thick at the toe of the dam and 4 feet thick at the outer edge, was 



166 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 

placed below the embankment. At the outer edge of this blanket a row of sheet 
piling was driven 16 feet into the ground. Tile drains were then laid each way 
under this edge of the blanket to connect with the central drain, led out below. 
In addition tile drains were laid approximately at right angles to these col- 
lecting side drains, up to the drains previously laid under the toe of the dam. 
The total cost of this work was $21,025. While it appears that the leakage at 
the upper embankment comes through the subsoil beneath, it is believed that 
the leakage should be kept under constant observation. Experience with a small 
reservoir in the neighborhood, in which the bottom proved to be porous, indicates 
that large seepage losses may be expected in the reservoir and its usefulness 
correspondingly reduced. 

Appendix No. 2 to Section VIII. 

REPORT OF COMMITTEE THAT EXAMINED SITE FOR BOISE RIVER 

STORAGE RESERVOIR. 

1. The committee visited both of the possible dam sites for the proposed Hell 
Gate Reservoir, i. e., at Hell Gate and at Arrow Rock. It appears from exami- 
nation of data collected by the United States Reclamation Service that a 
masonry dam can be constructed at either site to store 150,000 acre-feet (the 
capacity proposed) ; but that the lower (Arrow Rock) site has some points of 
superiority. The estimated cost of dams at the two sites are practically the 
same, and each provides for storage of 150,000 acre-feet. The Hell Gate Dam 
would have a maximum height of 303 feet, raising water 212 feet, and the 
Arrow Rock Dam would have a maximum height of 318 feet, raising water 212 
feet. The chief points of superiority of the Arrow Rock over the Hell Gate 
site are the better quality of the granite on which dam is to be founded; the 
lesser average thickness of overlying materials in bed of stream; the lesser 
extent of volcanic capping; the somewhat more accessible site and the slightly 
lesser cost. 

2. The cost of storage on the Boise River will be high, but the examinations 
of the Reclamation Service indicate that it will be less for the Hell Gate Reser- 
voir (with dam at Arrow Rock) than for any other site or sites on the river. 
Even this site requires a high masonry dam, which must be constructed of 
gravity section. On account of the depth of rock in the bed of the stream much 
difficulty may be expected in the construction of that portion of the dam below 
low-water level. 

The following estimates are submitted by the United States Reclamation 
Service : 

Rough estimate cost Hell Gate Dam. 

One hundred and fifty thousand acre-feet; rubble masonry, type A; raising 
water 212 feet : dam, 303 feet high ; crest elevation, 3,212 ; flooding, 1,920 acres ; 
watershed area, 2,207 square miles. 

Railroad, Barberton to Hell Gate, 20 miles, at $20,000 $400, 000 

Plant 200, 000 

Freight, exclusive of cement, sand, and gravel 25,000 

Tunnel, 900 linear feet, at $S0 72, 000 

Gates 100,000 

Cofferdam 150,000 

Excavation in cofferdam : 

20,000 cubic yards rock, at $3 $G0, 000 

186,000 cubic yards bowlders, gravel, and sand at $2___ 372, 000 

: 432, 000 

Excavation above water for dam : 

33,100 cubic yards rock, at $1.10 36,100 

27,000 cubic yards earth and loose rock, at 60 cents 16, 200 

52, 300 

Rubble masonry in dam, 412.200 cubic yards, at $6.25 2, 576, 300 

Spillway 1 330, 000 

Incidentals, 10 per cent of above items 433, 700 

Engineering and administration 433, 700 

Total cost 5, 205, 000 

Cost per acre-foot for 150,000 acre-feet, $34.70. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 167 

Rough estimate cost Arrow Rock Dam. 

One hundred and fifty thousand acre-feet storage; rubble masonry dam, 
type A; raising water 212 feet; dam, 318 feet high; crest elevation, 3,180; 
flooding, 2,050 acres; watershed area, 2,207 square miles. 

Railroad, Barberton to Arrow Rock, 17 miles, at $20,000 $340, 000 

Plant 200, 000 

Freight, exclusive of cement, sand, and gravel 25, 000 

Tunnel, 900 linear feet, at $80 72,000 

Gates, $100,000; cofferdam, $150,000 250,000 

Excavation in cofferdam : 

21,000 cubic yards solid rock, at $3 $63,000 

143,000 cubic yards gravel and bowlders, at $2 286, 000 

349, 000 

Excavation above water for dam foundation: 

52,000 cubic yards solid rock, at $1.10 57, 000 

10,000 cubic yards earth and loose rock, at 60 cents 6, 000 

63, 000 

Rubble masonry in dam, 432,000 cubic yards, at $6.25 2, 700, 000 

Spillway 300, 000 

Incidentals, 10 per cent of above items 430, 000 

Engineering and administration 430, 000 



Total cost 5,159, 000 

Cost per acre-foot for 150,000 acre-feet, $34.39. 



Appendix to Section XL 

MILK RIVER PROJECT. 

WATEB SUPPLY. 

1. The flow of the Milk River is not in itself sufficient for the irrigation of the 
areas included within this project, and recourse is had to St. Marys River which 
rises in the United States and flows north through Canada into Hudson Bay. 
The Milk River also rises in the United States and flows for about 200 miles of 
its length through Canadian territory before returning to the United States. 

2. The diversion of part of the flow of St. Marys River into the Milk River 
has been under consideration for the last 20 years, but recently, since the exe- 
cution of a treaty between the United States and Canada, has this diversion 
been equitably possible. The treaty, which was signed in 1909 and proclaimed 
May 13, 1910, provides that these two rivers, the St. Marys and Milk, shall be 
treated as one stream for the purposes of irrigation and power, and the waters 
thereof apportioned equally between the two countries. It is also provided that 
more than one-half may be taken from one river with a corresponding reduction 
in the amount used from the other river. A further condition provides that 
during the irrigation season, from April 1 to October 31, inclusive, the United 
States shall be entitled to prior appropriation of 500 cubic feet per second of 
the waters of the Milk River, or so much of such amount as constitutes three- 
fourths of its natural flow, and that Canada shall have a similar prior right to 
the flow of the St. Marys River. 

3. Gaugings of the St. Marys River have been made annually since 1902. Most 
of them were made at Cardston, Alberta, just north of the International Line. 
Others were made at Kimball, Alberta, and near Babb, Mont., while still others 
were made near St. Marys, the site of the proposed storage dam. From these 
gaugings the average run-off of the St. Marys River is found to be approximately 
740,000 acre-feet, varying from a maximum of 1,108,000 acre-feet to a minimum 
of 516,000 acre-feet. A study of the hydrographs made by the Reclamation Service 
also shows that it is possible by means of storage to satisfy Canada's prior 
right and still divert 850 second-feet during the irrigation season, April 1 to 
October 31, inclusive. The storage that would have been required to furnish 
such a supply during the period 1903 to 1909, inclusive, varies from a minimum 



168 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

of 74,S00 acre-feet to a maximum of 174,700 acre-feet. As storage to the amount 
of 218,000 acre-feet can be provided in St. Marys Lakes at reasonable cost a con- 
tinuous diversion of 850 second-feet for 7 months, or a total of 360,000 acre-feet, 
is assured without trespassing upon Canada's prior rights. 

4. Discharge measurements on Milk River have been made at Havre, Mont., 
60 miles below the international boundary, since 1898, at Malta since 1902, 
and Hinsdale since 1908. The discharge as measured at Havre is much less 
uniform than that of the St. Mary River, showing an average discharge of 
230,000 acre-feet, with a maximum of 750,000 acre-feet and a minimum of 
30,000 acre-feet, with two successive years of low run-off, namely, 1905. 30,000, 
and 1906, 70,000. 

5. Storage on the river is to be provided in Nelson Reservoir for 142,000 
acre-feet. 

6. Prior water rights in Milk River and its tributaries amount to approxi- 
mately 500 second-feet, part of which will be merged with and become a part 
of the project, and the filings of the United States cover the remainder of the 
flow. Filings have also been made by the United States on all of the unap- 
propriated waters of the creeks and coulees entering Milk River above the 
lowest diversion dam. 

7. The average rainfall at Havre since 1881 has been 13.6 inches, with a 
minimum in 1905 of less than 7 inches. Nearly 50 per cent of the annual pre- 
cipitation occurs in May, June, and July. This fact, together with past ex- 
perience in this valley, leads to the conclusion that 1£ acre-feet per acre per 
annum on the land will be a sufficient allowance, if it can be delivered during 
the growing season. 

8. To determine the amount of water that could have been delivered to the 
land during the period 1902-1910, had the system as now planned been com- 
pleted, a comprehensive analysis of the data available has been made by the 
Reclamation Service. In making this analysis such portion of the daily flow 
of the Milk River at Havre as is secured by treaty to the United States, sup- 
plemented by the proposed diversion of St. Mary River water, has been com- 
piled, together with the daily quantities that could have been diverted 
through the Chinook diversion canals. The capacity of these canals is assumed 
as 500 second-feet, the irrigable area under them being 100,000 acres. 

9. To determine the daily amount available for diversion at Dodson Dam, the 
second diversion point, there was added to the daily quantities remaining after 
the Chinook diversion the daily accretions to the stream flow between Havre and 
Malta, the latter being for practical purposes coincident with the Dodson Dam. 
These daily accretions were determined by subtracting from the daily discharge 
at Malta the discharge at Havre of two days previous. It will be noted that 
these accretions are net accretions and exclude from consideration the amount 
that was being used for irrigation between Havre and Dodson Dam. The 
Dodson canals are to have a combined capacity of 1,100 second-feet, and the 
amount that could have been diverted daily through them from the available 
supply has been tabulated for each day of the nine-year period for which dis- 
charge measurements are available. 

10. In a similar manner the daily quantities remaining in the river after 
the Dodson diversion were tabulated and to them added the daily accretions 
between Dodson Dam and Vandalia Dam, the latter being determined by sub- 
tracting from the discharge at Vandalia (Hinsdale) the discharge at Dodson 
Dam (Malta) of one day previous. From the daily quantities thus available 
at Vandalia Dam the daily amounts that could have been diverted through 
a canal of 200 second-feet capacity were determined. 

11. In the following tabulated statement, prepared by the Reclamation Serv- 
ice, is presented a summary of the results that could have been obtained dur- 
ing the years 1902 to 1910, inclusive, for the Dodson and Nelson Reservoir 
divisions, after furnishing the canals in the Chinook division with 500 second- 
feet continuous flow. From this table it appears that for all the years in the 
period, including the extremely dry years — 1905 and 1910 — all lands in the 
project could have been furnished with 1| acre-feet per acre per annum on 
the land, delivery being made through a period of seven months. In the esti- 
mates allowance is made for a 25 per cent seepage and evaporation loss in the 
canals, including the St. Mary diversion canal, and for an annual evaporation 
loss in Nelson Reservoir of 5 feet depth of water, equivalent to 20,000 acre-feet. 
No allowance is made for evaporation from that portion of Milk River used in 
conducting St. Mary water, as the additional supply will but slightly increase 
the water surface exposed to evaporation. 



FUND FCK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



169 



Supply available for Dodson and Nelson Reservoir divisions. 

[Acre-feet.] 



Years. 


1 


2 


3 


4 


5 


6 


7 


8 


1902 


271,945 
321, 237 
244! 224 
1( 5, 472 
231,710 
336,318 
2 ,2, 157 
31 7, 024 
172,623 


149,945 
199, 237 
122, 224 

43, 472 
109. 710 
214,318 
140, 157 
195,024 

50,623 


129,945 

179, 237 

102, 224 

23, 472 

89, 710 

194,318 

120, 157 

175. 024 

30, 623 




28, 000 
14, 801 
13,481 
28,000 
13,825 


101,945 
164, 436 

88, 743 
- 4, 528 

75, 885 
194,318 
102, 142 
175, 024 

13, 406 


21,945 

84, 436 

8,743 

- 84,528 

- 4,115 
114,318 

22,142 
95,024 

- 66,594 


21,945 
106,381 
115, 124 


1903 


13, 199 
14,519 


1904 


1905 


30, 596 
26, 481 


1906 


14,175 
33,312 
9,985 
46,778 
10,783 


1907 


140, 799 
2 142,000 


1908 


18,015 


1909 


3 142,000 


1910 


17,217 


75,406 





1 Accretions from drainage basin between Malta and Hinsdale not included for years 1902 to 1907, inclusive. 
* Proposed maximum capacity of Nelson Reservoir. 

(1) Amount which could have been diverted at Dodson Dam after the diver- 
sion of a continuous flow of 500 second-feet into canals in the Chinook division. 

(2) Amount which could have been stored in Nelson Reservoir, 122,000 acre- 
feet having been used in the irrigation of the 61,000 acres in the Dodson divi- 
sion. 

(3) Amount which could have been delivered from Nelson Reservoir, deduct- 
ing 20,000 acre-feet for evaporation from the reservoir. 

(4) Amount which could have been delivered into Vandalia Canal by direct 
diversion from Milk River after all diversions into canals above. 

(5) Amounts which would have been required from Nelson Reservoir to have 
given the Vandalia Unit its full supply of 28,000 acre-feet. 

(6) Balance remaining in Nelson Reservoir for Nelson Reservoir North and 
South Canals, and for storage for use in subsequent years. 

(7) Amount which could have been carried over in Nelson Reservoir for use 
in subsequent years after giving to lands under Nelson Reservoir North and 
South. 

(8) Amount stored in Nelson Reservoir at end of season. 

12. In making these estimates the supervising engineer in his analysis states : 
"All water supply where not shown by records has been disregarded. The 

flow has been considered from April 1 to October 31 only, whereas a consider- 
able quantity of water may be obtained frequently during other months. In a 
number of instances records are lacking for parts of the period April 1 to 
October 31, and in such cases the flow has been disregarded for such times as 
records are not available. The return seepage, which will undoubtedly be con- 
siderable and will augment the supply for lower diversions, has been disre- 
garded. The quantity of water assumed to be available from the flow of the 
upper Milk River has been limited to such part of the flow as is assured by 
treaty, whereas any surplus above this quantity at any time not required by 
Canada will enter the United States and be available for diversion. In deter- 
mining the accretions to Milk River between Havre and Malta, the difference 
in discharges of the river at the two points has been taken. This disregards all 
diversions that were being made at that time between Havre and Malta and the 
full supply of 2 acre-feet per acre per annum was allotted the lands that were 
using this water for irrigation. In fact, in all instances an effort has been 
made to estimate not the probable supply, but the assured supply." 

13. This analysis has been reviewed by the board, and with the following ex- 
ceptions it concurs in the assumptions made and in the conclusions reached : 

(1) It is believed that specific allowance should have been made for seepage 
and evaporation loss in the 26 miles of diversion canal between St. Mary and 
Milk River, in addition to allowing a 25 per cent loss from this source in the dis- 
tribution system. If the loss in this main diversion canal is placed at 10 per 
cent, which is less than one-half of 1 per cent per mile, it would be equivalent 
to 36,000 acre-feet in a year. 

(2) Attention is called to the disproportion in the assumed capacity of the 
Chinook Canals, 500 second-feet for 100,000 acres, and that of the Vandalia 
Canal. 200 second-feet for 14,000 acres. The necessary changes in the capacities 
would not, however, have unfavorably altered the result. 

(3) It is questionable whether the delivery of 1£ acre-feet per acre at a 
more or less uniform rate during seven months of the year will meet irrigation 



170 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

requirements in a region where the growing season is only five months. While 
the storage provided in Nelson Reservoir will serve in a measure to adjust the 
annual supply to the demand it must also serve to equalize the variable supply 
of different years. Whether it is large enough to fulfill both functions is a 
matter about which there is reasonable doubt. 

14. As additional storage can if necessary be provided in Milk River, the 
above comments do not alter the conclusion that in normal years there will 
be a sufficient water supply for the 215,000 acres under the project. 

15. The only other point to be considered is whether the amount to which the 
United States is entitled from the Milk River flow added to the amount which 
it is proposed to divert from St. Mary River will exceed one-half of the total 
flow of these streams. One-half of the combined average annual discharge of 
these streams is 480,000 acre-feet. 

Acre-feet. 

Proposed to be used by the United States, 215,000 acres, at 2 feet 430, 0000 

Evaporation loss, Nelson Reservoir 20, 000 

Total 450,000 

16. Seepage from the main diversion canal is not included in the above, as it 
will all drain into the St. Mary Basin and be available for use in Canada. 
There will be added to the above, however, the amount to which the Belknap 
Indians are entitled under court decree — 125 second-feet — and also part of the 
amount now being used by other prior appropriators on Milk River, as all of 
them will not, probably, come in under the project. Assuming 75,000 acre-feet 
as the amount necessary to satisfy prior rights, the total use of Milk River 
water in the United States will aggregate 525,000 second-feet. 

17. A comparison of the discharge measurements at Havre, Malta, and Hins- 
dale shows an average annual accretion between Havre and Malta of 40,000 
acre-feet, and between Malta and Hinsdale of 35,000 acre-feet, a total of 75,000 
acre-feet, or sufficient to satisfy the prior rights above referred to. In other 
words, the proposed use of these two streams is about 30,000 acre-feet less 
than the amount to which the United States would be entitled under the treaty. 



Appendix No. 1 to Section XII. 

SUN RIVER PROJECT. 

DAMS AND RESERVOIRS. 

1. Warm springs reservoir and dam. — The Reclamation Service has furnished 
the following description of this dam with proposed methods of construction : 

" This is located on the North Fork of the North Fork of Sun River some 
12 miles within the mountains, about a mile above the confluence of the North 
and South Forks. At this point the dam was planned to be constructed of 
loose rock fill, backed by earth placed by hydraulic process. About three-quar- 
ters of a mile below the dam site is a large talus of diorite, composed of rock 
from 1 to 30 or more cubic yards in size, and a good portion will be from 1 to 
6 cubic yards. This material can be cheaply transported by gravity tram- 
way to the dam site and placed therein by cableway. Test pits were dug from 
1 to 25 feet deep upon the hill sides above the dam site, and ample supply of 
materials for making hydraulic fill was developed within 2,000 feet of this 
point of use. These consist of clay, coarse and fine gravel, and some bowlders. 
By placing the material in this manner it can be sorted by the water so that 
the interstices between the stones of the rock fill will be filled with impervious 
material, making that portion solid and water tight, as well as the backing. 
Also the sorting can further be carried out to place the coarser material upon 
the upstream face so that a paving will not have to be resorted to other than 
the selection of stones during construction to act as baffle rock to hold the 
hydraulic material in place. Water can be delivered for this purpose by build- 
ing a ditch of some 20 second-feet capacity about 4 miles long from Bear 
Creek. Almost any desired head can be secured to give pressure at the nozzle. 
If the supply of Bear Creek should not prove sufficient for sluicing purposes 
as well as disintegration purposes, ample supply can be secured from South 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 171 

Fork by a ditch about 7 miles long, which will catch the flow of Elk, Goat, and 
Bear Creeks en route. This could afterwards be used to supply an additional 
amount of water back of the dam if needed. The economical height of the dam 
is controlled by the occurrence of bed rock in the spillway, which is about 
2,000 feet from the dam and behind the butte several hundred feet high. The 
crest of the dam was made 10 feet higher than for the spillway, so that it need 
not be overtopped, but floods will pass around the butte into the river. Top 
of dam was placed at contour 4,980 and flood line at 4,970, which will make 
a dam 190 feet above stream bed with a capacity of 156,868 acre-feet. At the 
dam site the foundation is of hard diorite where North Fork has cut through 
Sheep Reef. Bed rock shows across the river, and diamond drill borings have 
been made at three points to develop its continuity. The greatest depth of 
bed rock below stream bed is 25 feet, which gives a total height of dam from 
stream bed to crest of 215 feet. 

"The outlet work will consist of a tunnel approximately 900 feet long, 10 
feet in size, with a slight arch, passing through the left abutment, being in the 
solid diorite. The outlet gates will be controlled through a shaft rising from 
this tunnel which would be through solid rock, but more economic construction 
would probably necessitate the upper portion of the shaft to be of concrete in 
order to shorten the length of tunnel. A tunnel of this size with a slope of 0.01 
will discharge 2,200 second-feet. When construction is begun on this feature, it 
will be necessary to construct the tunnel, shaft, and set the gates the first season 
in order to take care of the spring floods and provide a by-pass around the dam. 
The first season the dam will be built some 80 feet above stream bed in order to 
amply discharge the maximum flood, which probably does not exceed 4,000 
second-feet. 

" The completion of the Great Northern Railway to Augusta will materially 
assist in this work, and if the line is completed through the mountains it will 
run within a mile of the dam site." 

2. While the board believes the cross section of a rock-fill dam here of the 
unusual height, 215 feet from the lowest point of prepared river bed, is feasible 
and practicable, it believes that should the railway be completed to the point 
near the site as suggested in the preceding paragraph it may be found that with 
the transportation facilities thus afforded the cost of a masonry dam will be 
but relatively little greater, and therefore that careful comparative studies and 
estimates of the two types should be made before the adoption of either type. 
As it will be several years before this structure is commenced, time is available. 
The estimate of cost of the Warm Springs Reservoir is as follows : 

Dam: 

Rock fill, 380,000 cubic yards, at 75 cents $285, 000 

Earth fill, 1,031,000 cubic yards, at 5 cents 51, 550 

Riprap, 3S,500 square yards, 18 inches deep, at $1.25 48, 150 

Outlet tunnel, 900 by 10 by 10 feet, at $80 per linear foot- 72. 000 

Gates, shaft, and gate house 50, 000 

$506. 700 

Gate tender's house and barn_ 2,000 

Telephone line to canyon, 10 miles, at $200 2, 000 

Canyon road, 10 miles, at $2,000 20, 000 

Highway Bridge at Forks, 63-foot span 1, 500 

Bear Creek hydraulic-pressure ditch 2, 000 

South Fork hydraulic-supply ditch 43,300 

Engineering and contingencies, 15 per cent 86, 600 

664, 100 

3. If the slope of the rock fill is increased as proposed to one and one-half to 
one, instead of one to one, the amount of rock will be increased about one-third, 
necessitating an increase of estimated cost for work of $95,000, making the cost 
of dam $601,700, and the total cost of reservoir $759,000. 

4. Willow Creek Dam and Reservoir.— This reservoir will when completed to 
full height serve two purposes: 

(1) To store the flood waters of Willow Creek to supplement the flow of Sun 
River available for Fort Shaw Unit in dry years ; and 

(2) To store flood waters of Sun River by means of canal connecting it 
with the Sun River above the Canyon Diversion Dam. 

5. For the first purpose the dam need be only 70 feet high, while to accomplish 
both ends the height is to be 110 feet. It is the present intention of the Recla- 



172 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

mation Service to complete the dam for the first purpose only, leaving the addi- 
tional height for the larger storage to be added later when required for new 
areas. This additional storage will be used by private users below the Fort 
Shaw Unit in exchange for which Sun River water can be diverted to the Pish- 
kun Reservoir system and thus increase the irrigable acreage under it and which 
otherwise would not receive water. 

6. The earth-fill type is the most suitable for the locality. The dam is de- 
signed to be 20 feet wide on top with side slopes of three on one on the reservoir 
side and two on one on the outer slope. The subsoil is compact glacial drift on 
top of sandstone and shale. The thickness of the material overlying this rock is 
15 feet at the bottom of the creek and less on the hillsides. Four cut-oH 
trenches are excavated to the underlying rock and filled with selected puddled 
material. 

7. The reservoir slope is to be faced with a layer of selected glacial bowlders, 
2 feet thick, hand placed. An outlet tunnel 584 feet in length passes around 
one end of the dam. It is circular in cross section, 4 feet 6 inches in diameter. 
Its capacity under 10-foot head is 400 second-feet. It is controlled by a sliding 
gate operated through a shaft, concrete lined, extending up to crest of dam. 

8. The storage for Willow Creek is 16,700 acre-feet. The storage for the 
higher dam will be 84,000 acre-feet, the difference to be supplied from the North 
Fork of Sun River, as noted above. 

9. The spillway for the lower dam is through a sag in the surrounding hills, 
which will, for the high dam, be closed by a small embankment. Another higher 
sag will form a spillway, if ever needed, for the higher dam. In each case the 
overflow discharges into a small creek about one mile away. The estimated 
cost of the dam, complete, is as follows : 

Outlet tunnel and shaft to elevation 4,140 completed and gate set. Camp 
established, equipment and supplies assembled. Cut-off trenches practically 
done and embankment begun. Paving rock on hand for face to elevation, 4,140. 

Dam: 

Earth fill, 460,000 cubic yards, at 28 cents $128, 800 

Supplying and placing 6,000 cubic yards paving, at 15, 000 
$2.50 15, 000 

Placing 4,000 cubic yards paving, at $1 4, 000 

$147, 800 

Dike, 210,000 cubic yards, at 35 cents 73, 500 

Raising gate-control shaft 40 feet, 100 cubic yards concrete, at $12 1, 200 

Gate house 500 

Measuring weir in Willow Creek about 1 mile below dam, with diver- 
sion box for Floweree Canal to measure 400 second-feet (no design) _ 5, 000 
One mile, 200 second-feet canal, measuring weir to head Floweree 

Canal, 21,000 yards earth, at 18 cents 3, 800 

Engineering and contingencies, 15 per cent 34, 800 



266, 600 



Appendix No 2 to Section XII. 
SUN RIVER PROJECT. 

WATEE SUPPLY. 
[Study of supervising engineer, H. N. Savage.] 

The irrigation plan of the Sun River project contemplates the construction of 
a storage reservoir on the North Fork of Sun River controlled by the Warm 
Springs Dam, storing the flow of this branch of the Sun River ; a diversion dam 
on the South Fork of the North Fork of Sun River diverting water into a supply 
canal discharging into the Warm Springs Reservoir; a diversion dam on the 
Sun River about 12 miles below the Warm Springs Reservoir diverting water 
into two canals, one on the north side of the river, serving as the supply canal 
to the Pishkun Reservoir, the other on the south side of the river, serving as a 
supply canal for the Willow Creek Reservoir; and the construction of the 
Pishkun and Willow Creek Reservoirs, with their subsidiary-canal systems. 
The water supplied to the Pishkun Reservoir will be taken out into a canal to 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



173 



be constructed so as to cover the high lands to the north of Sun River. A por 
tion of the water of this same reservoir is to be discharged into Deep Creek, a 
tributary of the Teton River, on which a diversion dam is to be constructed 
diverting water into a canal and irrigating lands on the southern slope of the 
Teton River basin. The water stored in Willow Creek Reservoir will be dis- 
charged into Sun River and will furnish partial supply for the Fort Shaw unit 
and for prior private water rights on Sun River below the mouth of Willow 
Creek, thus permitting a larger part of the low-water flow of the North Fork 
to be utilized in the irrigation of lands on the north side of the river. 

A reservoir may be constructed at the site of Benton Lake, about 8 miles north 
of Great Falls, to which surplus water from the Teton Slope Canal may be con- 
ducted by means of a supply canal some 4 miles in length, and stored for the 
irrigation of some 21,000 acres lying on the north side of the Missouri River 
opposite Great Falls. 

It is proposed to divert Bowl Creek, a tributary of Flathead River, into the 
head of Sun River. Bowl Creek, above the point of diversion, has a drainage 
area of about 9 square miles situated very near the continental divide. 

The area of land to be furnished with water is limited by the available water 
supply and not by the area to which water can be delivered. The project could 
be increased to include double the irrigable area at present proposed, were a 
sufficient water supply available. 

The flood stage of the Sun River occurs during the period when there will be 
large requirement for water for irrigation, the maximum flood usually occurring 
in June. Storage reservoirs are available for conserving the greater part of the 
winter flow and for regulating the summer discharge by the storage of the sur- 
plus waters during times of maximum floods. 

The annual run-off of the Sun River ranges from 500,000 to 1,000,000 acre- 
feet, with an average of about 700,000 acre-feet. It is believed that this will be 
sufficient for the irrigation of from 300,000 to 350,000 acres. On this basis lands 
have been selected aggregating 322,000 acres, situated as shown in the following 

table : 

Acres. 

Fort Shaw unit 16,000 

North Side high-line unit 15, 000 

Greenfields unit 75, 000 

Teton Canal lands 195, 000 

Benton Lake unit 21, 000 

Total 322,000 

STORAGE RESERVOIRS. 

The areas and capacities of the principal storage reservoirs are given in the 
following table : 



Reservoir. 


Area. 


Capacity. 


Warm Springs 


Acres. 

1,976 
2, 285 
1,542 
9,130 


A cre-feet. 

150,800 
84, 320 


Willow Creek 


Pishkun 


45,747 


Benton Lake 


140,200 





RECORDS OF RAINFALL AND RUN-OFF. 



Records are available of the precipitation at Fort Shaw, Mont., from 1867 to 
1886, inclusive, and from 1907 to date, also of that at Great Falls, Mont., from 
1892 to date. 

Records are available of the run-off of Sun River from 1906 to date, of the 
South Fork of Sun River from 1905 to date, of the North Fork of Sun River 
from 1905 to date, of Willow Creek from 1900 to date, and of Smith Creek, and 
of Ford Creek, tributaries of the South Fork, from 1906 to date. 

Tabulated statements of precipitation, and hydrographs showing the flow of 
the several streams accompany the report on the Sun River project, submitted 
under date of August 10, 1910. 



174 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



DUTY OF WATER. 

A consideration of the records of precipitation and of its monthly distribution, 
as well as of the results of irrigation as practiced in the vicinity of the project, 
leads to the conclusion that 1£ acre-feet per acre per annum delivered on the 
land, will be an ample allowance. Losses from seepage in canals will be re- 
turned to a great extent to the river and will be available for diversions below, 
reducing to such extent the quantity to be turned down the river for supplying 
such diversions. It is believed that an allowance of 25 per cent will be sufficient 
to cover final losses from evaporation and seepage in canals, and that 2 acre- 
feet per acre per annum delivered at the head of canals will be ample to supply 
the total requirement. No allowance need be made for losses from evaporation 
from the river, the records of stream flow used to determine the available 
supply showing net supply after such losses have occurred. 

PRIVATE WATER RIGHTS. 

Appropriations of water prior to filings by the United States, stated in terms 
of the acreages to be irrigated and classified according to the various streams 
from which diversions are made, are given in the following tabulated state- 
ment: 



Stream. 


Irrigated. 


Suscepti- 
ble of irri- 
gation. 


Total. 


North Fork of Sun River 


Acres. 
1,522 

1,691 

288 

4,659 
313 
19 
121 
689 
194 
207 

6,661 

424 
15 


Acres. 
21,360 

725 
242 

3,471 
101 

""235* 
1,456 


Acres. 

22,882 

2,416 
530 


Willow Creek and tributaries: 

Willow Creek and Little Willow Creek 




South Fork and tributaries: 

South Fork 


8,130 
414 




Blubber Creek '. 


19 


Elk Creek 


356 


Dubray Creek 


2,145 
194 


Ford Creek 




478 

7,844 

415 

38 


685 


Sun River below mouth of South Fork and its tributaries: 

Sun River 


14, 505 
839 


Dry Creek 




53 






Total 


16, 803 


36, 365 


53, 168 





In addition to the above, C. H. Campbell has a water filing of 468 second- 
feet on the waters of Sim River for power purposes, the power to be utilized 
in pumping water for the irrigation of his lands. The location of the power sRe 
is below all diversions by the United States and below practically all diversions 
by other appropriators. However, the appropriator is willing to relinquish this 
water right to the United States and receive in lieu thereof water right under 
the Government canal. 

The adjudication of the Sun River water rights is now pending before the 
State court, and the tabulated statement of probable acreages is based upon 
defendant's answers and the referee's report. 

In the following discussion, the quantities which will be used by private 
appropriators has been estimated on the basis of 2 acre-feet per acre per annum 
delivered at the head of canals, it being believed that any quantities in excess 
of these, if actually delivered to the land, will run off as surface drainage, or 
will be by seepage eventually returned to the river and will be available for 
diversion below. 

AVAILABLE WATER SUPPLY. 

The irrigation period may be assumed to extend from April 1 to October 31 
of each year. The winter flow of the North Fork of the North Fork of Sun 
River will be stored in Warm Springs Reservoir. A diversion canal will be 
constructed of size sufficient to convey to this reservoir the flow of the South 
Fork of the North Fork, with the exception of the peak of floods. It is expected 
that ordinarily this canal can be operated during one-half of the winter period. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 175 

In the following discussion it has been assumed that the winter flow of the 
South Fork of the North Fork, except during the months of December and 
January, can be delivered into the Warm Springs Reservoir, and that that of 
the North Fork below the Warm Springs Reservoir during the same period can 
be diverted into the south or north supply canals and stored in Willow Creek 
or Pishkun Reservoir. 

Stream measurements for the North Fork of Sun River have been made at a 
gaging station situated at a point about 9 miles below the proposed diversion 
dam for the north and south supply canals. In order that the quantities which 
may be stored in Warm Springs Reservoir may be estimated, it has been neces- 
sary to estimate what portions of the stream flow at the gaging station are de- 
rived from the North Fork of the North Fork, the South Fork of the North Fork 
and of the North Fork below the reservoir site. The areas of these drainage 
areas are approximately 20S, 211, and 135 square miles respectively. The drain- 
age area of the North Fork of the North Fork having a greater eievation, the 
relative quantities of run-off per square mile from the three areas are assumed 
to be in the proportion of 4, 3, and 3. On this basis the percentages of the total 
run-off for the three drainage areas are 45 per cent, 35 per cent, and twenty 
per cent, respectively. 

Several appropriations of the waters of the North Fork have been made prior 
to filings by the United States. The total irrigable area covered by these prior 
appropriations is approximately 23,000 acres, of which approximately 1,500 acres 
have been irrigated. All of these filings are situated below the gaging station 
and the records of stream measurement show the stream flow before the diver- 
sion of any water for supplying the lands irrigated. Table 1 shows, for the 
years for which records are available, the estimated quantities of water which 
would have been available from the three drainage areas tributary to the North 
Fork and the balance available for use by the United States after deducting 
40,000 acre-feet for supplying the prior rights for approximately 23,000 acres. 

The total area of irrigable land for which appropriations of water have been 
made from the South Fork of Sun River prior to filings by the United States 
is approximately 11,950 acres, of which approximately 6,200 acres have been 
irrigated. All of these appropriations are above the South Fork gauging station, 
and records of stream measurement show the flow after the diversion of water 
for the lands irrigated. For supplying prior rights it is necessary, therefore, 
to deduct from the flow as shown by the gaugings only 11,500 acre-feet per annum 
for supplying the 5,750 acres of land not irrigated. Table 2 shows, for the years 
for which records are available, the estimated run-off of the South Fork of Sun 
River during the irrigation period and the amounts that would have been avail- 
able for use by the United States after deducting 11,500 acre-feet for supplying 
prior rights. 

The total area of irrigable land for which appropriations of water have been 
made from Willow Creek prior to filings by the United States is approximately 
3,000 acres, of which approximately 2,000 acres have been irrigated. All of these 
appropriations are above the Willow Creek gauging station, and records of 
stream measurement show the flow after the diversion of water for the lands 
irrigated. For supplying prior rights it is necessary, therefore, to deduct from 
the flow as shown by the gaugings only 2,000 acre-feet per annum for supplying 
the 1,000 acres of land not irrigated. The remainder of the run-off for the 
entire year can be stored in Willow Creek Reservoir and sufficient additional- 
water diverted from the North Fork and delivered through the North Supply 
Canal to fill the reservoir. Table 3 shows, for the years for which records are 
available, the estimated annual run-off of Willow Creek, the amounts which 
would have been available for storage and use by the United States after de- 
ducting 2,000 acre-feet for supplying prior rights and the amounts which it 
would have been necessary to divert from the North Fork to fill Willow Creek 
Reservoir to its full capacity of S4,300 acre-feet. 

Appropriations of water from Sun River below the mouth of Willow Creek 
prior to filings by the United States embrace a total of approximately 14,500 
acres, of which amount about 6,700 acres have been irrigated. The Fort Shaw 
unit has an irrigable area of about 16,000 acres. There will be then a total 
irrigable area below the mouth of Willow Creek of about 30,500 acres, for the 
irrigation of which there will be required approximately 61,000 acre-feet of 
water. 

Table 4 gives, for the years for which records are available, the estimated 
amounts of water which would have been available from the South Fork of Sun 
River and from Willow Creek, after deducting sufficient quantities for supplying 



176 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

prior rights on these streams, and the estimated balance which would have been 
required from the North Fork of Sun River in order to supply the 61,000 acre-feet 
required for the irrigation of lands on Sun River below the mouth of Willow 
Creek. , 

Table 5 gives, for the years for which records are available, the estimated 
supply from the North Fork of Sun River available for lands on the north side 
of the river after deducting such quantities as would have been required to give 
lower diversions a full supply. 

As heretofore stated, it is proposed to divert Bowl Creek into the head of Sun 
River. The drainage basin of Bowl Creek above the point of diversion has an 
area of about 9 square miles ranging in elevation from 6,500 feet to S,000 feet 
above sea level. It is estimated that the average run-off per square mile of this 
area will be 25 per cent greater than the average run-off per square mile of the 
basin of the north fork of the North Fork. On this assumption, the probable 
run-off for the years 1905 to 1910, inclusive, would have been as given in Table 
0. The high altitude of the Bowl Creek drainage basin will bring its maximum 
run-off considerably later than the maximum flood period of the North and 
South Forks of the North Fork, and will facilitate the storage of the run-off in 
the Warm Springs Reservoir. 

The winter flow of the North Fork of the North Fork and of the South Fork 
of the North Fork will be stored in the Warm Springs Reservoir. It is assumed 
that the irrigation period will begin about April 1 and continue until about 
October 31, with maximum requirement in June, July, and August. Records of 
stream flow of the North Fork show that, ordinarily, the natural flow continues 
comparatively low during April. If conditions indicate a large run-off, the 
winter flow may be returned to the river for diversion into the several canals 
before the beginning of the flood period, thus leaving the reservoir in condition 
to retain the maximum quantity during the period of greatest discharge. 
. The proposed capacity of the north supply canal is 2,000 second-feet and that 
of the south supply canal 1,100 second-feet. After April 1, then, the entire flow 
of the North Fork can be diverted into these canals except during such periods 
as the discharge exceeds 3,100 second-feet and, in case no water is required for 
the Willow Creek Reservoir, the entire flow can be diverted into the north 
supply canal except during such periods as the discharge exceeds 2,000 second- 
feet. A comparison of the last columns in Tables 3 and 4 shows that a larger 
quantity of water from the North Fork could have been stored each year in 
Willow Creek Reservoir than would have been necessary to supply the require- 
ment. Any water furnished from the North Fork to Willow Creek Reservoir 
will be delivered either during the winter season from accretions below the 
Warm Springs Reservoir or during periods of maximum flood when Warm 
Springs Reservoir is full and the North Supply Canal unable to handle the flow 
of the stream remaining after allowing sufficient water to pass to supply the 
rights of canals below. The inability to utilize any part of the available water 
can result only from the Warm Springs Reservoir being full at such time as the 
normal flow of the stream at the diversion works of the supply canals, after 
deducting water required for canals diverting below, exceeds the capacity of 
the supply canals, or at such time as Willow Creek Reservoir is full and the 
flow exceeds the capacity of the North Supply Canal after providing for lower 
diversions. 

In Table 7 are given, for the years for which records are available, the quan- 
tities from the flow of the North Fork available for north-side lands, the quan- 
tities which could have been diverted into the North Supply Canal or stored 
in the Warm Springs Reservoir, and the estimated surplus above storage and 
diversion capacities which would necessarily have had to be diverted into the 
South Supply Canal or would have passed on downstream. 

The water supply from Bowl Creek will also be available for north-side 
lands. However, during ordinary years the supply from this stream during the 
flood period can not be so utilized as the storage and diversion capacities will be 
exceeded by the flood discharge of the North Fork. It will be in years of com- 
paratively low flow that the Bowl Creek flood supply can be best utilized and 
will be most useful. In 1905, 1906, and 1910, the entire estimated annual run-off 
of Bowl Creek could have been stored in the Warm Springs Reservoir for use 
at such times as required. In 1907 to 1909, inclusive, it is probable that but a 
small part of the flow could have been utilized, as the flow of the North Fork 
was in excess of the storage and diversion capacities. The estimated annunl 
run-ofl: for the years 1905, 1906, and 1910 is shown as supplied to north-side 






FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



177 



lands, while the estimated run-off for the years 1907, 190S, and 1909 is omitted 
for reasons stated above. 

In addition to the water diverted through the North Supply Canal for north 
side lands, there will be available for lands under the Teton Canal and the 
Benton Lake unit, the run-off of Deep Creek and its tributary, Willow Creek, 
both of which are tributary to the Teton River. 

As no discharge measurements have been made of the flow of Deep Creek and 
Willow Creek, an estimate of the probable run-off has been made by a compari- 
son of these streams with the South Fork of Sun River. Willow and Deep 
Creeks resemble the South Fork as regards the situation, elevation, and topo- 
graphic features. It would seem that their run-off would be approximately pro- 
portional to their drainage areas. The total drainage area of Willow Creek and 
Deep Creek is approximately 240 square miles, while that of the South Fork is 
approximately 87 per cent of this area. On this basis, the probable run-off of 
Willow and Deep Creeks has been estimated for the years 1905 to 1910, inclu- 
sive, and the estimated quantities are given in Table 8. 

In Table 8 are given, for the years for which records are available, the quan- 
tities from the North Fork which could have been delivered to the north side 
lands either by direct diversion of the normal flow or by storage in Warm 
Springs Reservoir and subsequent diversion, the quantities from Bowl Creek 
which could have been delivered to north side lands, the quantities available 
from Deep and Willow Creeks for lands under the Teton Canal or the Benton 
Lake unit, and the total quantities which could have been delivered to north 
side lands from all of these sources. From this table it will be seen that north 
side lands could have been furnished with an abundant supply during the years 
1907,* 1908, and 1909, and with practically a full supply in 1910. Considerable 
additional supply could have been obtained in the spring of 1910 from cross 
drainage tributary to the long one-bank main canals. This amount is difficult 
to estimate, but it is certain that it would have materially increased the avail- 
able supply. 

The years 1905 and 1906 were years of extraordinarily low run-off. Measure- 
ments of stream flow have not been made for a sufficient number of years to 
show the probable recurrence of such years of low flow. During such years 
there would not have been a sufficient supply, after providing water for the 
Fort Shaw unit and for appropriations prior to those of the United States, to 
have furnished a full supply to the 306,000 acres on the north side of Sun River. 
It will be a number of years, however, before works can be constructed to cover 
the entire area proposed for irrigation. In the meantime, measurements of 
stream flow can be continued and the lands for which works are constructed 
can be limited to such area as may be decided most practicable. The minimum 
year should not be taken as determining the amount of land to be irrigated 
unless such minimum flow is of frequent recurrence. It is believed that years 
having flow similar to 1905 and 1906 are of very infrequent occurrence and that 
further stream measurement will show that the irrigation of approximately 
300,000 acres on the north side of the river is feasible. 

Table 1. — Estimated supply in acre-feet from the North Fork of Sun River. 





1905 


1906 


1907 


1308 


1909 


1910 


Estimated run-off of the North Fork of the 
North Fork for the years J 


164, 000 

122, 000 

70,000 

310,000 


166,000 

111,000 

64, 000 

295,000 


359,000 
269,000 
134,000 
716, 000 


354, 000 
200, 000 
152, 000 
726,000 


330,000 
246,000 
141,000 
655, 000 


283,000 
210, 000 


Estimated run-off of the South Fork of the 
North Fork, February to November, in- 
clusive 2 


Estimated run-off of the North Fork below 
Warm Springs Reservoir, February to 
November, inclusive 3 


120, 000 
567,000 


Water available for use by the United 
States after deducting 46,000 acre-feet 
for supplying prior rights 





i 45 per cent of the flow at the gauging station for like period. 
2 35 per cent of the flow at the gauging station for like period, 
s 20 per cent of the flow at the gauging station for like period. 



72573— H. Doc. 1262, 61-3 12 



178 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



Table 2. — Estimated supply in acre-feet from the South Fork of Sun River, 

Apr. 1 to Oct. 31. 





1905 


1906 


1907 


1908 


1909 


1910 


Estimated run-off 


32,200 
20, 700 


32, 000 
20, 500 


78, 000 
66, 500 


106, 000 
94, 500 


130, 000 
118, 500 


11 000 


Water available for use by the United 
States after deducting 11,500 acre-feet 
for supplying prior rights ' 









Table 3. — Estimated supply in acre-feet from Willow Creek and amount in 
acre-feet required from the North Fork of Sun River to fill Willoio Creek 
Reservoir to its full capacity of 84,300 acre-feet. 





1905 


1906 


1907 


1908 


1909 


1910 


Estimated run-off for the year 


10,000 
8,000 

76,300 


8,000 
6,000 

78,300 


25,000 
23,000 

61, 300 


25,000 
23,000 

61,300 


35,000 
33, 000 

51,300 


11 000 


Water available for storage and use by the 
United States after deducting 2,000 
acre-feet for supplying prior rights 

Balance of Willow Creek Reservoir capacity 
which would have been available for the 
storage of water from the North Fork, 
assuming all Willow Creek flow to be 
stored 


9,000 
75,300 





Table 4. — Estimated available supply from South Fork and Willow Creek and 
estimated balance required from the North Fork to supply 61,000 acre-feet for 
lands for which water will be taken from Sun River below the mouth of 
Willow Creek. 



Year. 



Estimated 

supply 

from 

South 

Fork (from 

Table 2). 



Estimated 

supply 

from 

Willow 

Creek 

(from 

Table 3). 



Balance 

required 

from the 

North 

Fork. 



1905. 
1906. 
1907. 
1908. 
1909. 
1910. 



20, 700 
20, 500 
66,500 
94.500 
118,500 



8,000 

6,000 

23,000 

23,000 

33, 000 

9,000 



32.300 
34, 500 



52, 700 



Table 5. — Estimated supply, in acre-feet, from, the North Fork of Sun River 
available for lands on the north side of Sun River. 





1905 


1906 


1907 


1908 


1909 


1910 


Total estimated available supply from the 
North Fork after deducting water re- 
quired for prior rights on North Fork 
(from Table 1) 


310,000 
32, 300 

277, 700 


295,000 

34,500 

260,500 


716,000 


720,000 


655,000 


567,000 


Required for lands on Sun River below the 

mouth of Willow Creek (Table 4) 

Balance available for lands on north side 


52,000 


716,000 


726,000 


655, 000 


515,000 







FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



179 



Table 6. — Estimated supply in acre-feet from the North Fork of the Sun River 
and from Bowl Creek available for lands on the north side of the Sun River. 





1905 


1906 : 


1907 


1908 


1909 


1910. 


Estimated supply from the North Fork 
available for north-side lands (from 
Table 5) 


277, 700 
8.000 


260,500 
8,000 


716, 000 

19, 000 


726, 000 
19,000 


655, 000 
15,500 


515,000 


Estimated run-off from Bowl Creek 


12,500 


Total 


285,700 


268, 000 


735,000 


745, 000 


670,000 


527,500 





Table 7. — Estimated supply in acre-feet from the North Fork of the Sun River 
available for north-side lands, estimated quantities which could have been 
diverted into the north supply canal or stored in Warm Springs Reservoir 
for subsequent diversion, and estimated quantities which could not have been 
so diverted nor stored oiving to the limited capacity of reservoir and supply 
canal. 





1905 


1906 


1907 


1908 


1909 


1910 


Estimated supply available from North 
Fork for north-side lands (from Table 9). 

Estimated quantities which could have 
been diverted into north supply canal or 
stored in Warm Springs Reservoir 

Quantities which could not have been so 
diverted or stored 


277,700 
277,700 


260,500 
260,500 


716, 000 

650,000 

66,000 


726,000 

627,000 
99,000 


655,000 

632,000 
23,000 


515, 000 
515,000 











Table 8. — Total available supply for north-side lands. 





1905 


1906 


1907 


1908 


1909 


1910 


Quantities from the North Fork which 
could have been diverted into the north 
supply canal or stored in Warm Springs 
Reservoir for subsequent diversion 
(from Table 7) 


277,700 

8,000 
37,000 


260,500 

8,000 
37, 000 


650,000 


627, 000 


632, 000 


515,000 
12,500 


Quantities from Bowl Creek which could 
have been diverted into north supply 
canal or stored in Warm Springs Reser- 
voir for subsequent diversion 


Quantities from Deep Creek and Willow 
Creek available for lands under the 
Teton Canal 


90, 000 


130, 000 


152, 000 


13,000 






Total for north-side lands 


322, 700 


305, 500 


740, 000 


757, 000 


784, 000 


540, 000 







Appendix to Section XIII. 



LOWER YELLOWSTONE DIVERSION" DAM. 

1. Description. — This dam is a rock-filled, timber and pile, overfall dam with 
concrete abutments, one of which forms the head gates of the canal. The crest 
is straight, measuring 700 feet between abutments ; the width of base is 50 feet 
4 inches ; the maximum elevation of crest above the original river bed is about 
12 feet, and above the low-water surface (of 1904) 3.5 feet. The abutment on 
the right bank is a straight buttressed wall of reenforced concrete. From this 
abutment a small earth dike with rock-paved slopes, was constructed to connect 
the abutment with a hillock which is never under water, the object of the dike 
being to prevent the scouring of a channel around the abutment during ice jams. 
The ordinary floods will pass over the dam with a maximum depth on the 
crest of about 8 feet, but at times, due to the formation of ice gorges below, 
there may be a depth on the crest of 25 feet. 



180 fund for reclamation of arid lands. 

2. The dam consists of seven rows of round piles and an upstream and a 
downstream row of triple-lap sheet piling. The piling is well tied together with 
longitudinal and transverse timbers, and the space between the piles is filled 
with rock. The upstream face is sloping and has a decking of 12 by 12 inch 
transverse timbers laid in contact. The top and front face of the dam form an 
ogee section, the decking on this part of the dam being formed of 12 by 12 inch 
longitudinal timbers laid in contact. To the decking on this face of the dam 
1 by 4 inch iron straps, spaced 2 feet between centers measured longitudinally, 
are secured. The decking of the apron is of 8 by 12 inch timbers laid in con- 
tact and perpendicular to the axis of the dam. The toe of the apron is higher 
than its intersection with the lower face of the dam, the object of this arrange- 
ment being to retain a pool of water on the apron when the flow over the dam 
has ceased. Timber was selected as the material for the superstructure of this 
dam, because of its being the cheapest and because it was known that the dam 
would be constantly wet, for several years at least, and therefore the timber 
would not be liable to decay, it being expected that when, by an increased use 
of water higher up the river, the dam becomes exposed, the timber decking 
must be replaced, which can be done with concrete slabs at a relatively small 
cost. 

3. Headivorks. — The combined headworks and abutment is a massive con- 
crete structure with a height of 45 feet 6 inches, a width at base of 31 feet 6 
inches, and a width at crest of 11 feet. The work consists of a straight wall, 
163 feet 4 inches long, and two return walls connecting with the high bank. 
These walls have lengths respectively of 83 feet 9 inches, and 80 feet. There 
are 11 circular culverts in the wall, each 5 feet in diameter, closed by sliding 
cast-iron gates. The combined capacity of these openings with the water sur- 
face at the crest of the dam is considerably greater than the capacity of the 
main canal, but the supervising engineer stated that " the area provided is only 
sufficient to insure the filling of the canal during the probable future low-water 
discharge of the Yellowstone River, which will, in a few years, at the present 
rate of appropriations, be materially less than at present. It is likely that 
within 10 years the openings in this structure may not be much in excess of the 
actual requirements." 

4. Pile driving. — The subsoil of the dam is shale and sandstone, with some 
gravel, and it proved to be a very difficult material into which to drive timber 
piles. An average penetration of 20 feet was, however, secured. On account 
of the difficulty encountered in driving the triple-lap sheet piling and the small 
penetrations obtained in some places, the timber piling at these places was 
reinforced by steel sheet piling driven in contact with it. During the con- 
struction of the dam a large number of round piles had to be pulled on account 
of drift collecting against them during a flood in the river, causing considerable 
scour in the bed of the river and endangering the work. After the flood sub- 
sided these piles were redriven and the dam finished. 

5. Costs. — The following is a statement of the costs of this work, as furnished 
by the local office : 

Headworks, total cost $66, 131. 33 

Dam ^ 333, 105. 03 

Total 399, 236. 36 

6. Based on experience elsewhere this cost appears very high. It is thought 
that a dam equally secure and equally suitable could have been built following 
some cheaper type for a much more reasonable expenditure. Possibly, also, a 
location could have been selected that would have obviated the construction of 
the dam, taking the water direct from the river by suitable headworks as in the 
Huntley project. 

7. It is stated by the supervising engineer that the fact that they were under 
necessity of prosecuting the work in midwinter at temperatures of 45 degrees 
at times, added perhaps 100 per cent to the cost, and that the combination 
design was adopted as giving almost absolute certainty against being carried 
away. He states also that the possibility of dispensing with the dam was con- 
sidered but rejected mainly on account of the lower level at which the head- 
works would have to be placed, necessitating a much longer useless length of 
main canal and much heavier excavation, as well as a reduction in the acreage 
which could be reached by the canah 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



181 



Appendix to Section XIV. 

NORTH PLATTE PROJECT. 

[Duty of Pathfinder Reservoir, by A. P. Davis, Chief Engineer.] 

The available water supply for the North Platte Valley is indicated by exist- 
ing records of stream flow as follows : 

Orin Junction, Wyo., 1896 to 1899, inclusive. 

Guernsey, Wyo., from June, 1900, to 1908, inclusive. 

Whalen, Wyo., for 1909 and 1910. 

The above observations can be reduced to discharge at a common point with 
small error. 

Alcova, Wyo., 1904 and 1905. 

Pathfinder, Wyo., 1905 to 1910 inclusive. 

The observations for Alcova and Pathfinder may be taken as practically the 
sam-e point as there is little difference in drainage area. 

An effort has been made to reach a comparison of percentages among these 
various stations in order to complete unfilled portions of the record from 1896 ' 
to date. 

Most of the observations of stream flow omit the winter months, but as these 
are months of low flow and little fluctuation the observations may be supplied 
without important error by inspection of the tables, and this has been done. 

Rainfall observations have been compiled for Saratoga and South Pass City, 
in the basin of the North Platte, and Waterdale, Laramie, Fort Laramie, and 
Lander, outside of the basin but sufficiently close and representative to be of 
some value as indicating the precipitation in the basin itself. The stations of 
Laramie and Fort Laramie are in the basin of the Laramie River, which 
empties into the North Platte below the lowest diversion of this river by the 
Reclamation Service. Lander is to the north in the Big Horn Basin, and 
Waterdale is in the basin of the South Platte. The records for Saratoga and 
South Pass City are so badly broken that their utility is greatly impaired. The 
rainfall observations have been tabulated by years, ending September 30, as 
precipitation after that date affects the discharge of its own calendar year 
much less than the year following. 

In the years 1905 to 190S coincident odservations of stream flow were made 
at Pathfinder and at Guernsey. 

During 1909 and 1910 coincident observations were made at Pathfinder and 
W^halen, and as the discharge was practically the same at Guernsey and at 
Whalen the years 1905 to 1910 can be taken as indicating the relative per- 
centage of run-off at Pathfinder and at Guernsey. 

The mean of these percentages by months is as fellows, taking Guernsey as 
100 per cent : 

Table I. — Comparative discharge at Pathfinder and Guernsey. 



Months. 



Pathfinder. 



Januarv, 1910 

February, 1910 

March (3 years) 

April (4 years) 

May (6 years) 

June ( 6 years) 

July (6 years) 

August "(6 years) . . . 
September (5 years) 
October (5 years)... 
November, 1909.... 
December, 1909 

Total 



A 



cre-fert. 

37,790 

20,504 

90, 038 

137,3 4 

308, 970 

511,858 

195,976 

59,582 

38, 482 

37, 3. r >3 

44, 688 

33,572 



1,446,249 



Guernsey. 



Acre-feet. 

40, 474 

34, 506 

115,933 

178.112 

331,427 

559, 295 

270, 392 

138,318 

67, 410 

75, 454 

60, 114 

47,268 



1,918,703 



Percent- 
age Path 
finder of 
Guern- 
sey. 



94 
59 
78 
77 
93 
91 
73 
43 
57 
49 
74 
71 



70 



182 



FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



Using the above percentages the discharge for Pathfinder is extrapolated for 
the years 1896 to 1903, inclusive, and the observations at Alcova are taken 
for 1904 as showing the flow at Pathfinder. 

We thereby have discharge values from 1906 to 1910, inclusive, for Path- 
finder and Guernsey as shown in the following table, which also shows for four 
successive years the flow of the Laramie River at Uva, near its mouth, for 
the months of May and June. This flow represents only a small fraction of 
the flow of the Laramie River, the major part being diverted above Uva. 

The flow given would be available for the satisfaction of prior rights below 
the interstate canal. 

The table also gives for the five years of actual synchronous observations, 
the difference for May and June, showing the run-off for those months of the 
area between Pathfinder and Guernsey. 

This will be used later. 

In each case the year ending September 30 is taken : 

Table II. — Observed and estimated discharge of North Platte River. 



Year ending Sept. 30 — 


Pathfinder. 


Orin. 


Difference. 


Summer 

flow, 

Laramie, at 

Uva, May 

and June. 


Rain.i 


Rain.* 


1896 


3 966, 000 
3 1,895,000 

3 982, 000 
3 3,022,000 

3 917,000 
3 1,333,000 

3 942,000 
3 1,2i8,000 
s 1, 266, 000 
5 1,175,000 

1,410,000 

1,787,000 

959, 000 

2,257,000 

929, 000 


1,200,000 

2,239,000 

1, 184, 000 

3,851,000 

U,099,000 

< 1,561,000 

4 1,110,000 

4 1,494,000 

4 1,620,000 

4 1,694,000 

4 1,725,000 

4 2,408,000 

4 1,565,000 

'2,512,000 

' 1,194,000 


234,000 
345,000 
202, 000 
829, 000 
182.000 
228,000 
168,000 
266,000 
354, 000 
519,000 
315,000 
621,000 
606, 000 
255,000 
265,000 


30, 000 
139.000 

64,000 
233,000 


14.85 
12.55 
13.43 
12.34 
16.15 
12.61 
11.22 
12.52 
12.79 
14.25 
16.41 
13.97 
14.45 
15. 33 
10.69 




1897 




1898 




1899 




1900 


12 95 


1901 


24.56 


1902 




10.22 


1903 




14.31 


1904 


6 163, 000 
« 230. 000 
6 120, 000 
6 201,000 
« 494, 000 




1905 




1906 


18.31 


1907 


16.21 


1908 




1909 




1910 




19.26 








Mean 


1,411,000 


1,764,000 


352, 000 

















1 Mean of Lander, Waterdale, Laramie and Fort Laramie. 

2 Mean of Saratoga and South Pass City. 

3 76 per cent of observed discharge at Orin or Guernsey. 

4 At Guernsey. 

8 Measured discharge at Alcova. 

« Between Pathfinder and Guernsey, May and June only. 

* At Whalen. 



It will be noted that six years in the record show less than 1,100,000 acre- 
feet run-off at Pathfinder and that the low years contained in this record never 
occur consecutively. This condition is favorable for utilizing the surplus stor- 
age capacity of the Pathfinder Reservoir. The last year in the record, 929,000 
acre-feet, is the year 1910, which is pronounced by settlers the driest year 
ever known, and it seems to consider this near the minimum, although the 
record indicates an estimated flow for 1900 slightly lower, and the record at 
Saratoga indicates a lower rainfall in 1902. 

There are many claims to the waters of the North Platte that antedate 
Government filings, but only a portion of these have been actually applied to 
beneficial use. 

An adjudication of these has recently been made by the State engineers of 
Wyoming and Nebraska, amounting to 463 cubic feet per second in Wyoming 
and 4,618 feet in Nebraska. The adjudication for Wyoming may be fairly 
reasonable, but that for Nebraska is evidently excessive and sheds little light 
upon the amount that must be allowed to pass the Government diversion dam. 
For example, 1801 second-feet were adjudicated to the region east of Bridge- 
port, while only 100 second-feet were demanded there last year, the driest for 
many years. Of the adjudicated areas, both above and below Bridgeport, a 
large portion is swamp land in the North Platte Bottoms, and part of the 
necessary water is furnished by return seepage from the old irrigated lands. 
From an intimate knowledge of the valley the project engineer expresses the 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



183 



opinion that 2,000 second-feet will cover all existing valid prior rights. The 
Nebraska adjudication is of no force in Wyoming where the proposed diver- 
sions are located, and the adjudication made would not stand in a Federal court. 
Nevertheless, it would hardly be safe to ignore it at the present time. 

Of the total adjudication it is believed to be very conservative to assume 
that no more than 3,000 cubic feet per second will be actually demanded, and 
this, of course, only during the time when the natural flow of the river 
is furnishing this amount. When it falls below this amount the later rights 
must go short unless they arrange for stored water from the Government 
reservoirs. 

The following table shows the dates at which the river declined to specified 
discharges in the period of record : 

Flow of Platte at Guernsey on dates mentioned. 



Year. 


5,000 
second-feet. 


3,000 
second-feet. 


2,000 
second-feet. 


1902 


June 22... 
June 29... 
June 27... 
June 30... 
June 26... 
July 12.... 
June 26... 
July 14.... 
May 18.... 


June 22... 
July 11.... 
July 13.... 
July 11.... 
July 25. . . . 
July 26. . . . 
July 10.... 

July 20 

June 10... 


July 1. 
July 16. 
July 18. 


1903 .... 


1 904 


1905 


July 22. 


1906 


July 26. 


1907 „ 


Aug. 7. 


1908 


July 13. 
Aug. 5. 
June 20. 


1909 


1910 







On the above assumption the Reclamation Service may store at Pathfinder 
only such amounts as are in excess of the needs of the canals using 3,000 second- 
feet in the height of the season. After the river discharge declines below 3,000 
cubic feet per second, which usually occurs in July, the entire flow of the river 
must be allowed to flow through the reservoir in addition to the draft for rec- 
lamation uses. The irrigation season usually closes about October 1, and the 
little water needed after that date may be obtained from the run-off and seepage 
below Guernsey. The amounts that would, under these assumptions, have been 
released from storage as the river declined is given for five years in the follow- 
ing table : 

Table III. — Water to release from reservoir to satisfy prior rights after July 1. 





1904 


1905 


1906 


1907 


1908 


1909 


July .' 


110,000 
36, 000 
23,000 


108,000 
37,000 
16,000 


137,000 
41,000 
39,000 


180,000 

84,000 
35,000 


122,000 
75,000 
33,000 


150,000 


August 


80,000 


September 


70,000 






Total 


169,000 


161,000 


217,000 
70,000 


299,000 
90,000 


230,000 
10,000 


300, 000 


Less excess flow above Guernsey 












Net amount 


169,000 


161,000 


147,000 


209,000 


220,000 


300,000 







The item " Less excess flow above Guernsey " refers to the inflow between 
Pathfinder and Guernsey while the flow at Guernsey is above 3,000 second-feet. 

The region furnishing water to the North Platte Valley above Gering may 
be considered in four parts: 

1. The region above Pathfinder tributary thereto : drainage area 12,000 square 
miles. Observations of stream flow at or near this point cover seven years, 
from 1904 to 1910, given in Table II. 

2. The region below Pathfinder and above Guernsey, with an area of 4,240 
square miles, from which the runoff can be obtained by comparing the measure- 
ments at Pathfinder with those at Guernsey. By means of regulation at 
Guernsey this can be made available. (See Table II.) 

3. The drainage basin on Laramie River above Uva, with an area of 3,180 
square miles, for which we have observations of the flow at Uva for four 
years, 1896 to 1899, inclusive. Most of the run-off of Laramie River is diverted 
above Uva for irrigation, and the measured discharge is the residue and return 



184 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

seepage at that point, and is available for the satisfaction of water rights below 
the mouth of the Laramie. (See Table II.) 

4. The portion of the basin below Guernsey and above Gering, exclusive of 
the Laramie above Uva. This area is 4,920 square miles. In this stretch of 
the river most of the ditches having prior rights divert water. The best 
available data for the run-off of this region is by comparison with the dis- 
charge from the region between Pathfinder and Guernsey. The measurements 
at the latter points show by comparison the run-off of this part of the basin in 
excess of diversions. The region between Guernsey and Gering is similar in 
topography, but lower in altitude, with a lighter rainfall, but is known to con- 
tribute an important supply in the irrigation season. As the drainage area 
is larger, it is believed, to be conservative, to estimate its drainage to be equal 
to that between Pathfinder and Guernsey less the diversions in that region, 
and this estimate is here used. 

During the month of June it is expected that for prior rights the maximum 
quantity would be required throughout the month, 3,000 second-feet for 30 
days, or about 180,000 acre-feet. In May a less amount is required, say 160,000 
acre-feet, making a total of 340,000 acre-feet required to satisfy prior rights 
to June 30. This could be supplied from the following sources: 

Water for prior rights in May and June: 

From Laramie River, value for 1896 (Table II) 30,000 

Other drainage below Guernsey (estimated) 120,000 

Run-off between Pathfinder and Guernsey (Table II, 1906) 120,000 

Balance from reservoir 70, 000 

Total supply for May and June priorities 340,000 

The draft of 70,000 added to the 220,000 (see Table III) passing through 
the reservoir after July 1 gives a total of 290,000 acre-feet to be deducted 
from the supply above Pathfinder to satisfy prior rights. 

From the above we may assume that the amount of water that must pass the 
Pathfinder Reservoir, which cannot on account of prior rights be held there, is 
300,000 acre-feet per annum. 

The large required amount indicated in Table III for the year 1909 is due 
to the excessive flow of that year, and would have been wasted in any event, 
because of a full reservoir. It may, therefore, be disregarded. Aside from 
this, the highest year is 1908, in which 220,000 acre-feet would have passed 
through the reservoir after July 1. Little irrigation is done in April, and this 
in the latter part. This period is one of rather large run-off from the low 
country, and there would always be plenty of water for all prior rights in 
April from the run-off below Pathfinder. 

The contracts on the North Platte project allow a water supply limited to 
beneficial use of not to exceed 2£ feet in depth. As not all land with water 
right is under cultivation at any one time, and as much grain and other crops 
of short season will always be grown, it seems safe to assume that the actual 
average consumption of water will be considerably less than 2J feet measured 
on the land. To furnish this we may assume that it will be necessary to pro- 
vide 3 acre-feet in the reservoir for every acre holding full water right. 

In addition to prior rights above mentioned, it is desirable to provide a full 
water supply to the following lands : 

Acres. 

Interstate Canal 115, 000 

Goshen Park high line 150, 000 

Fort Laramie Canal 50, 000 

Total 315, 000 

In addition to the above there is an indefinite area of land in private owner- 
ship above Guernsey and under the Tristate Canal aggregating over 100,000 
acres, which may or may not apply for reservoir rights in the future under the 
terms of the reclamation act. The purpose of this discussion is to determine as 
approximately as possible what acreage we can safely undertake to water in 
order to proceed along a rational plan. 

Of the above area under the Interstate Canal, 30,000 acres is to be watered 
from small reservoirs to be constructed on the project which will be filled 
partly by waste water from that canal, but mainly from the run-off of the aren 
below Pathfinder in the fall and early spring. It is believed to be safe, there- 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 185 

fore, to eliminate this area from that to be supplied from the Pathfinder 
Reservoir. 

In the ultimate development there will be considerable return seepage from 
the upper lands available for the Interstate Canal and for the prior rights be- 
low, and though no data on this point is available, it seems conservative to esti- 
mate that this will be sufficient for the irrigation of about 30,000 acres. The de- 
duction of this area leaves a total of 255,000 acres to be supplied with irriga- 
tion water from the contemplated Government works. 

The year ending September 30, 1900, as given in Table II, is the lowest in the 
record, and is followed by a year of less than average supply, and this in turn by 
one of the lowest in the record. This constitutes the most severe combination in 
the record. 

The heavy discharge in the year 1899 insures a full reservoir June 30, 1900. 
According to our assumptions, prior rights would have required after that date 
220,000 acre-feet of water, and 315,000 acres in the Government projects would 
have required 60 per cent of a full supply, or 567,000 acre-feet. This would 
have left 313,000 acre-feet in the reservoir. We would have had — 

Remaining in reservoir Sept. 30, 1900 313, 000 

Run-off for 1901 1,333,000 

1, 646, 000' 

Evaporation 45, 000 

Prior rights 300, 000 

Irrigation draft 945, 000 

1, 290, 000 

Remaining in reservoir Sept. 30, 1901 356, 000 

Run-off for 1902 942, 000 

1, 298, 000 

Evaporation 50, 000 

Prior rights 300, 000 

Irrigation draft 945, 000 

1, 295, 000 

Balance 3, 000 

According to the above we may safely construct both the Goshen Park line 
and the Fort Laramie Canal and have sufficient water to supply 30,000 acres of 
private land and as much more as may be supplied from the return seepage 
water from the above systems. The demand for this is developed only to a very 
small extent as yet. 

If two or more years in succession should occur with discharge as low as that 
of 1900, there would still be more than a 70 per cent supply, which would not be 
disastrous, but is such a shortage as we should expect at long intervals under a 
proper development. Also, the same acreage may be served if the minimum 
year should furnish a supply much smaller than any now of record, provided it 
does not occur two years in succession. 

In case of a large private demand for stored water, or. that some of the 
above assumptions are more favorable than facts will justify, it may be found 
desirable to omit the Fort Laramie Canal, or to build it of smaller dimensions 
than now contemplated. In this there is such a margin that there can be no 
doubt of the water supply being sufficient for the Goshen Park project if 
desirable to use it there. 

It is believed, however, that the greatest error in the above assumptions 
is the large amount set aside for prior rights, namely, 3,000 cubic feet per 
second. If this can be held down to 2,000 second-feet, according to the estimate 
of the project engineer, it will add about 80,000 acres to the above duty. 



186 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Appendix to Section XV. 

TRUCKEE-CARSON PROJECT. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

1. The water supply for this project is obtained from the Carson and Truckee 
Rivers, a canal with a capacity of 1,200 second-feet, diverting the flow from 
the latter to the Carson. 

2. The project provided for the regulation of the flow of the Truckee River 
by means of storage at Lake Tahoe, and the construction of storage reservoirs 
on the Lower Carson River, known as the Carson Reservoir, with a capacity 
of 290,000 acre-feet, and Alkali Flat Reservoir, the capacity of which is at 
the present time undetermined, but will be approximately 228,000 acre-feet. 

3. The following condensed statement of the available supply and irrigation 
requirements for the Truckee-Carson project has been prepared for the board 
by the supervising engineer : 

"The average flow of the Truckee River at Vista, Nev., a gauging station a 
few miles above the Derby Dam but below the irrigated lands at Reno, is 
880,000 acre-feet per annum during the period 1900 to 1907, inclusive. Except- 
ing about 30 second-feet during the irrigation season, all of this flow is avail- 
able for diversion for the Truckee-Carson project, 

" The average flow of the Carson River at Empire, Nev., a point a few miles 
above the proposed Carson Dam, is 364,000 acre-feet per annum after making 
deduction for all vested rights on the river. This amount is, therefore, all 
available for use on the Truckee-Carson project. 

" By regulating the flow of the Truckee River by means of storage at Lake 
Tahoe it will be possible to deliver water through the main Truckee Canal 
into the proposed Carson Reservoir to an annual amount of 710,000 acre-feet, 
This is the net amount after making appropriate deductions for vested rights 
along the Truckee River and the irrigation supply for lands under the Truckee- 
Carson project between the Derby Dam and the Carson Dam, 

" There will therefore be available in the Carson Reservoir an average 
annual supply of 1,070,000 acre-feet, made up of 360,000 acre-feet from the 
Carson and 710,000 acre-feet from the Truckee. 

" In order to irrigate 172,000 acres below the Carson Dam there will be 
required 602,000 acre-feet of water, allowing 3.5 acre-feet per acre. Of this 
amount 312,000 acre-feet can be turned directly from the Truckee main canal 
into the Carson River and thence onto the irrigable lands without utilizing any 
storage. The balance of 290,000 acre-feet will have to be supplied from storage 
on the Carson River. 

" The 290,000 acre-feet of storage water can be derived from deliveries 
from the Truckee main canal into the Carson Reservoir during the nonirri- 
gating season, or from the natural flow of the Carson River into the Carson 
Reservoir, or both. In practical operation it will probably be found advan- 
tageous to use Carson River water as far as it will go, making up the defi- 
ciency by deliveries from the Truckee main canal during the nonirrigating 
season. This will permit the service of the main canal to be discontinued 
during a considerable portion of the nonirrigating season. 

" Hydrographic studies show that at no time during a nine-year period over 
which records extend would the Carson River Reservoir have been seriously 
depleted or reduced below a storage of 100,000 acre-feet. 

" The ultimate construction of a reservoir at Alkali Flat will utilize much 
of the surplus flow of the Carson River for irrigating lands in Churchill Valley. 

" It will be noted that apparently a considerable excess supply of the Truckee 
and Carson Rivers exists. The period over which records extend apparently 
includes a cycle of excessive precipitation. The California records show that 
during the seventies a prolonged period of excessive drouth occurred much in 
excess of anything that had previously or has since been experienced. The 
apparent margin of safety in the supply works for the Truckee-Carson project 
as at present designed need not, therefore, be considered as being in any way 
excessive, as there is a distinct possibility that should a prolonged period of 
drouth, as before mentioned, recur the supply will not prove more than ade- 
quate. 

"Accompanying this statement is a tabulation entitled ' Table of requirements 
and available supply for irrigating various areas of land below Carson Dam.' 
The land below Carson Dam includes 172,000 acres made up of the first unit, 



FUND FOK KECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



187 



districts 3, 4, and 5, and Carson Lake extension. The two remaining branches 
of the project, viz, Pyramid Lake extension and Churchill Valley, would be 
watered directly from the Truckee main canal or from the Alkali Flat Reservoir 
on the Carson River." 

4. The above statement assumes a regulated flow in the Truckee River. 
About a year ago an agreement between the power company controlling the 
outlet to Lake Tahoe and the Reclamation Service was drafted, under the 
provisions of which the desired regulation of the Truckee River was to be 
secured at a very nominal cost to the project, approximately $20,000. This 
agreement has been before the Secretary of the Interior for some time, but has 
not received his approval. The regulation of the Truckee River could probably 
be accomplished by storage elsewhere than in Lake Tahoe, but at a largely 
increased cost. Some agreement with this company, even at a greater cost 
to the Truckee-Carson project, is desirable. 

5. An examination of the hydrographs of the Truckee and Carson Rivers 
shows 1908 as a year of minimum flow, and the following table, based upon 
conditions that year, indicates that, excluding Alkali Flat Reservoir and the 
land that can be irrigated directly from it in Churchill Valley, only 150,000 
acres could have been irrigated in that year had the flow of the Truckee River 
not been regulated: 



Months. 



Mean monthly flow. 



Truckee 

River less 

20 per cent 

loss in 

canal. 



Carson 
River. 



Combined 
flow. 



Monthly 

demand 

for 150,000 

acres. 



Balance 

required 

from 

Carson 

Reservoir. 



April. 

May 

June 

July... 

August 

September 
October... 



Second-feet. 
920 
536 
496 
272 
248 
216 
"336 



Second-feet. 

450 

570 

410 

150 

50 

50 

70 



Second-feet. 
1,370 
1,106 
906 
420 
298 
266 
406 



Second-feet. 

882 

1,537 

1,941 

1,878 

1,708 

529 

171 



Second-feet. 



431 
1,035 
1,458 
1,410 

263 



Being equal to 275,820 acre-feet. 

6. As approximately 13,000 acres below Carson Dam has prior vested rights 
in the unregulated flow of the Carson River, the area under the project that 
could have been irrigated in this year of low run-off would not have exceeded 
140,000 to 145,000 acres, exclusive of Churchill Valley, as against 192,000 
acres if the Truckee River had been regulated. 

7. By increasing the capacity of Alkali Flat Reservoir above that required 
for Churchill Valley it may be possible to secure sufficient water for the needs 
of this project without regulating the flow of the Truckee River, but at greater 
expense and with less certainty, particularly in view of the probability of a 
prolonged period of drought such as is said to have occurred in the seventies. 

8. The regulation of the flow of the Truckee by means of storage at Lake 
Tahoe may not be an essential part of this project, but it is a desirable one, 
as it will reduce the cost per acre and insure an ample supply of water under 
all conditions. 



188 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 



Table of requirements and available supply for irrigating various areas of land 

below Carson Dam. 



Months. 


Avail- 
able sup- 
ply de- 
livered 
from 
main 
Truckee 
Canal. 


Monthly 

demand 

for 85,000 

acres. 


Balance 

required 

from 

Carson 

River. 


Monthly 

demand 

for 100,000 

acres. 


Balance 

required 

from 

Carson 

River. 


Monthlv 

demand 

for 125,000 

acres. 


Balance 

required 

from 

Carson 

River. 


J anuary 


Sec.-ft. 

1,080 

1,080 

1,080 

9G8 

902 

826 

840 

849 

1,003 

1,039 

1,080 

1,080 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


February 













March 




i 








April 


500 

871 

1,100 

1,064 

'968 

300 

97 




588 
1.025 
1,294 
1,252 
1, 138 
353 
114 




735 
1,281 
1,681 
1,566 
1,423 
441 
142 




May 




123 

468 
412 
289 


379 


June 


274 
224 
119 


792 


July 


726 


August 


574 


September 




October 








November 








December 




























Total acre-feet. . 


710. 000 


294, 000 


37,000 ! 352,000 


77,500 ! 436,000 


148, 000 



Months. 


Monthly 

demand 

for 135,000 

acres. 


1 1 
Balance Monthlv • Balance 

"SEE* ^rnand re <£* ed 
from *„„ , - n mn ' from 

Carson Z ^ 000 . Carson 

River, j acres ' 1 River. 


Monthly 

demand 

for 175,000 

acres. 


Balance 

required 

from 

Carson 

River. 


January 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


Sec.-ft. 


February 










March 














April 


794 
1,383 
1,747 
1,691 
1,537 
476 
153 




882 
1.537 
1,941 
1.87S 
1,708 
529 
171 




1,029 
1,793 
2,264 
2,191 
1,992 
617 
199 


61 


May 


4si 

921 
851 

088 


635 
1,115 
1,038 

859 


891 


June 


1.438 


July 


1,351 


August 


1,143 


September 




October 








November 








December 




| 




















467,000 


176,000 


525,000 i 219.000 


612,000 


293,000 



Appendix to Section XXI. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

1. Water is obtained for this project from Link River and Lost River. Link 
River, which is the outlet of Upper Klamath Lake, has a drainage area of 3,100 
square miles, with an average rainfall on the drainage area of about 20 inches. 

2. Discharge measurements have been made continuously since August, 1904, 
and the results show an average annual run-off of 1,700,000 acre-feet. The 
mean monthly discharge for this period varies from 3,839 second-feet in April 
to a minimum of 1,185 second-feet in September. The lowest average daily dis- 
charge for any one month was 900 second-feet in September, 1908. 

3. Upper Klamath Lake, with an area of 66,000 acres, constitutes a good 
natural reservoir, and at slight cost additional storage to the extent of 200,000 
acre-feet can be provided. 

4. An examination of the discharge measurements since 1904 indicates that 
with such storage no difficulty would have been had in maintaining a constant 
flow during the irrigating season of not less than 1,400 second-feet. There are 
prior rights on this river amounting to 325 second-feet, all of which is used in 
development of power. The requirements of the project are analyzed as follows : 



Area to be irrigated. 



Acres. 



Lower project uplands 37, 000 

Tule Lake lands 35, 000 

72,000 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 189 

5. On the basis of 1 second-foot for each 100 acres, 7.20 second-feet will be 
required for this area. Of this amount 100 second-feet will be furnished from 
Lost River, as described hereafter, and the remainder, 620 second-feet, from 
Link River through the main canal. For the development of power by the 
Reclamation Service there will be required 445 second-feet delivered through 
the Keno Canal, making a total diversion from Link River for the project of 
1,065 second-feet. This added to the amount to which prior appropriators are 
entitled equals 1,390 second-feet, or practically the amount obtainable from 
Link River after its flow has been regulated as above described. 

6. Lower Klamath marshes, if drained in accordance with the present plans, 
will also be irrigated with water discharging from Link River. As the point of 
diversion will be below the power plants there will be an abundance of water 
for this purpose. 

7. Discharge measurements of Lost River have been made since 1904 and 
show an average annual run-off of 118,960 acre-feet below Clear Lake Dam, the 
drainage area above this point being 600 square miles. To regulate the flow of 
this river, Clear Lake Reservoir has been built. It has an area of 25,000 acres 
and an available capacity of 462,000 acre-feet. The primary purpose of this 
reservoir was to store the flood waters of Lost River and increase the evapora- 
tion loss therefrom so as to permit the reclamation of part of Tule Lake by 
evaporation, but it also serves to store water that can subsequently be used in 
irrigation. 

8. A study of the history of this reservoir, assuming it to have been built in 
1904, and assuming that commencing with the season of 1906 an annual irriga- 
tion draft had been made upon it of 75,000 acre-feet (sufficient for watering 
30,000 acres) shows that during the entire period covered by the records the 
reservoir would have been full at no time, and that during the past four years 
there would, probably, not have been sufficient water for the full irrigation of 
the 30,000 acres. As to the effect of this reservoir upon Tule Lake, an analysis 
made by the Reclamation Service indicates that with a yearly evaporation of 
4.65 feet the surface level of Tule Lake would have been reduced about 6 feet 
in a little over five years, a rate of recession that would delay for an unreason- 
able length of time the reclamation of submerged Tule Lake lands. To hasten 
this result, a diversion channel has been planned leading from Lost River to 
Klamath River. As to the size of this channel the following is quoted from a 
report by the project engineer: 

11 The diversion of water from Lost River through a 200 second-feet capacity 
channel would have lowered the surface of Tule Lake an additional 5 feet, or to 
a total of 11 feet in the period under consideration. Additional diversion 
through a 400 second-feet channel, instead of one of 200 second-feet, would have 
lowered the lake surface but an additional 2 feet during the same time. 

" These computations may be considered as showing the most favorable condi- 
tions, as no correction has been made for the inevitable increase of discharge 
of Lost River due to return water from irrigation on the lower project, and from 
a similar source on the upper project in case the latter, eventually, should be 
irrigated. It is considered, however, that the fact of this return water could 
be offset by making the actual capacity of the drainage canal about 50 second- 
feet greater than the figures used for purposes of computing diversion. Some 
further corrections would have to be made if the computations of amount 
diverted through the Lost River diversion channel should be computed from 
daily discharge measurements, rather than from monthly totals. Such compu- 
tations have been made in part, but are found to have an inappreciable effect 
on the general . result." 

9. The analysis as to what might have been accomplished during the past 
five years has been continued by the Reclamation Service up to and including 
1913 under the assumption that the rainfall conditions for the years 1906-1909 
could be applied to the succeeding four years, from which it appears that at 
the end of 1913 the surface of Tule Lake would have been at elevation 4,038, 
equivalent to a total lowering of 18 feet and to the reclamation of about 35,000 
acres. Under the assumptions made this work would have required nine years 
from the completion of Clear Lake Dam and the Lost River diversion. 

10. The studies of the Reclamation Service relative to the reclamation of Tule 
Lake lands contain many elements entering into the problem, such as run-off 
from the surrounding drainage basin, rainfall in the future, seepage from lands 
now being placed under irrigation, that are more or less indeterminate, and 
time alone can decide whether the assumptions made are warranted. That 



190 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

35,000 acres of these lands can, eventually, be reclaimed in the manner pro- 
posed seems probable. 

11. Water for irrigating Tule Lake lands may be obtained from Link Eiver, 
or from Lost River. If the Modoc subproject is built the bulk of it will be 
obtained from Link River. In considering above the draft upon Link River, 
it was assumed that only 100 second-feet of the amount required for the Tule 
Lake lands would be obtained from Lost River, this amount being available 
in the lower reaches without trespassing upon Clear Lake storage. 

12. The Modoc subproject, if constructed, will be watered from Clear Lake 
Reservoir. It is estimated that there will be sufficient water in this reservoir 
for the irrigation of from 25,000 to 30,000 acres, and as the Modoc subproject 
covers only 18,000 acres, there will be a balance probably sufficient to satisfy 
certain undetermined prior rights in Upper Langell Valley that are now in the 
process of adjudication. 

13. The upper subproject, if constructed, will depend for its supply upon 
Miller Creek, the annual run-off of which averages 70,000 acre-feet, varying 
from a maximum of 125,000 acre-feet in 1907 to a minimum of 19,000 acre-feet 
in 1908. With the proposed Horsefly Reservoir, having a capacity of 55.000 
acre-feet, it is reasonable to assume that there will be available not less than 
40,000 acre-feet each year. Only 1£ acre-feet per acre are deemed neces- 
sary on the land. Seepage and evaporation losses are assumed by the Recla- 
mation Service at 40 per cent, thus requiring a reservoir allowance of 24 acre-feet 
per acre. At this rate there will be sufficient for 16,000 acres. These allow- 
ances are liberal and it may be found possible to subsequently increase the acre- 
age under this subproject. 



Appendix to Section XXII. 
BELLE FOURCHE PROJECT. 

1. Reservoir Dam. — This is of earth fill, without core wall, which type was 
adopted mainly on account of the character of subsoil and the material avail- 
able for the fill. The general dimensions are : Length on top, 6,200 feet ; width 
on top, 19 feet ; maximum height, 115 feet above stream bed ; side slope, 2 to 1 
on the inside, except that below the concrete toe wall the slope is 5 to 1, and for 
the uppermost 15 feet is 1\ to 1. On the outside the slope is 2 to 1 except for 
the uppermost 30 feet where it is 1.65 to 1. The downstream slope is strength- 
ened by two berms, 8 feet wide, provided with concrete drainage gutters. The 
dam will contain, when completed, 1,600,000 cubic yards of earth and 45,000 
cubic yards of gravel. A cut-off trench was excavated the full length of the 
dam along its center line, and filled with selected material. The earth fill 
was deposited in 6-inch layers, wetted, and rolled with a steam roller. A draw- 
ing showing the cross section of the dam is appended hereto. 

2. There is considerable gypsum in the vicinity, and efforts were made to 
exclude it from the material used in the body of the dam, borrow pits being 
selected with this end in view. In the fourth annual report of the Reclamation 
Service it was stated that the " material of which it will be built is heavy clay 
and gumbo, which weighs in some places 120 pounds per cubic foot," and " a 
number of open borrow pits were sunk to bedrock under the proposed dam, 
and it was found that the distance to shale under the body of the dam was 
40 feet. No continuous gravel or water-bearing strata were encountered, and 
the base under the dam will therefore be impervious. All borrow pits at 
which earth or gravel is to be obtained were carefully investigated by open 
test wells and borings. An examination and analysis of the earth to be used 
in the dam was made by H. Means, and his report showed only a small amount 
of soluble matter in the material from most of the borrow pits, but in two 
pits there was a large percentage of gypsum, and this material will not be used." 

3. The methods followed in preparing the site and in depositing the fill are 
those used in good engineering practice. The concrete block facing on the water- 
side is especially substantial. It is made of slabs, 6 feet by 4 feet, and 8 inches 
thick, molded in a yard and later placed on a 24-inch layer of screened gravel. 
The facing is held in place at the foot by a concrete toe wall. The two con- 
crete gutters on the upper and lower berms on the downstream side are well 
suited to their purpose. An ample spillway is provided to take care of floods, 



I 



FUND FOK RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



191 



the crest being 15 feet below the top of the dam. This spillway is semicircular 
in plan and 314 feet in length. The fall of the water over the crest is broken 
by two concrete steps, after which the water flows in a concrete-lined channel 
on a 4 per cent grade to the foot of the slope, and there is discharged into the 
river bed, which is protected against undue erosion by concrete work. 

4. The capacity of the reservoir is 204,000 acre-feet. Two outlets are pro- 
vided, one for the north and one for the south main canal, with capacities of 
G50 and 300 second-feet, respectively. The gates in each are in duplicate, those 
nearest the reservoir being of the piston type, while those in the rear are of the 
sliding type. The clear opening of the gates is 4 feet by 6 feet. The propor- 
tions used in concrete were 1 cement, 2J sand, and 4$ gravel. 

5. Comment. The board deems it prudent to call attention to the relative 
steepness of the side slopes for the dam. Usually these slopes, especially on 
the upstream side, in dams of this height and character without core wall, are 
not steeper than 3 on 1, to avoid sloughing when the reservoir is drawn down 
and when under full head to keep the hydraulic grade line through the dam and 
subsoil from coming to the surface on the downstream slope or too near the toe. 
This may be accomplished with the steeper downstream slopes, but to assume 
that it is satisfactorily done in any particular case necessarily places great 
reliance on the results of the methods of construction followed and material 
used to obtain water-tightness in the dam, a reliance not always justified. The 
best practice, therefore, while using every precaution in construction, also 
usually adopts the flatter side slopes. 

6. In the present instance, the dam has not been exposed to the full head ; in 
fact, the water has risen to less than half the projected height. While there 
has been no appearance of seepage through the dam itself, there has appeared 
some seepage apparently through the subsoil at a point about 100 feet to one side 
of the maximum section and a short distance below the toe. 

7. This indicates that there is some leakage through the dam or that the 
subsoil is more permeable than as stated in the quotation above. 

8. In view of this and of the great damage the failure of the dam would 
occasion, it is thought that it should be carefully watched for several years to 
detect any signs of weakness. 

9. The total cost to date has been $950,231.46, and the estimated additional 
cost to complete it is $166,000, or a total of $1,116,000 in round numbers. These 
figures include all overhead charges. 



Appendix No. 1 to Section XXY. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

Summary of data and conclusions, final development Yakima project. 

I. CAPACITY OF RESERVOIRS. 



Name of reservoir. 


Capacity 
(acre-feet). 


Remarks. 


Keechelus 


142, 000 
210,000 
426, 000 
35,000 
115,000 


i 


Kachess 




Clealum 


>Lpper lakes, 778,000 aere-feet. 


Bumping 


j 


McAllister 


Naches, 150,000 acre-feet. 






Total 


928, 000 









192 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



Summary of data and conclusions, final development of Yakima project — Con- 
tinued. 

II. ACREAGE AND ESTIMATED STORAGE REQUIREMENTS. 

[Based upon an irrigation season from April to October 15, inclusive, and bigli line 
acreage of 100,000. Storage movement by years given below.] 



Project. 



Kittitas... 
High Line. 

Tieton 

Wapato 

Sunnyside . 



Total. 



Point of diversion. 



Easton 

Teanaway . . . 
Tieton River. 
Union Gap . . 
do 



Total 

acres 

under 

project. 



67. 000 
160. 000 

34, 000 
120, 000 
100, 000 



481, 000 



Mean August re- 
quirement. 



Acreage 
requiring 
storage. 1 



67, 000 
160. 000 

34, 000 
108. 000 

48, 000 



417, 000 



Duty 
(second- 
feet per 

acre). 



1.84 

1.80 

1.106 

1.80 

1.80 



Diver- 
sion 
(second- 
fee c). 



800 
2,000 

320 
1,350 

600 



5,070 



Storage 
charge 
(acre- 
feet) .* 



146, 000 
366, 000 
53.000 
247. 000 
110, 000 



Duty of 
storage 
water 

(acre-feet 
per acre). 3 



928, 000 



2.18 
2.28 
1.73 
2.28 
2.28 



2.22 



i The Sunnyside project has 650 second-feet of natural river flow. This is considered as serving 650 by 
SO, or 52,000 acres without storage. Also Wapato has 150 second-feet, considered as serving 12,000 acres 
wit! 1 out storage. 

2 This storage charge is computed on a basis of the acreage under each project which will require storage 
and the diversion per acre for the project. 

8 This may be termed the storage charge per acre. 



III. PRIVATE CANALS. 

All private canals above Union Gap are provided for on basis of past usage. 
The private canals in the lower valley will receive a sufficient quantity for their 
needs from return flow. 

IV. PLEDGED STORAGE. 

Cascade County: An allowance of 17,000 acre-feet is provided from storage 
as follows: July 20-31, 113 second-feet; August, 115 second-feet; September, 
92 second-feet; October, 1-15. 58 second-feet. 

Union Gay Irrigation Co. : The small quantity of storage due this company is 
considered as coming from Kittitas return flow. 

V. HOLDOVER. 

As the two Naches reservoirs will always have a considerable excess run-off 
avaifable, no holdover should be stored in them. For the following summary 
the holdover has been considered as stored as follows : Keechelus, 10 per cent ; 
Kachess, 40 per cent; Clealum, 50 per cent. 

VI. KACHESS FEED CANAL. 

For this scheme of development, no necessity for a feed canal from Keechelus 
to Kachess has arisen during the past seven years of record. Conditions might 
arise that would make such a canal operative ; for example, if a year like 1908 
had followed the year 1906. It would seem, however, that the probability of 
such necessity is not very great. 



FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF AEID LANDS. 



193 



Summary of storage movement, oy years, final development Yakima project. 

[Basis of summary : Reservoir capacity and project acreage as noted on sheet 1 ; provi- 
sion for private canals (sheet 2). Irrigation season April 1 to October 15. Storage 
season starts November 1. Summary from hydrographs.] 



Season and reservoir. 


Storable 
run-off. 


Hold 
over 
from 
year 
previous. 


Total 

quantity 

stored 

for 
season. 


Storable 
water 
lost for 
lack of 

reservoir. 

capacity. 


Project. 


Acreage 
to re- 
quired 
storage. 


Total 
storage 

(from 
hydrog- 
raphy). 


1904: 

Keechelus . . 


151,000 
199,000 
534, 000 




142,000 
210, 000 
426, 000 
150, 000 




Kittitas 


67,000 
48,000 

108, 000 
34,000 

160,000 


71,000 


Kachess 






Sunnyside 

Wapato 


Clealum 






306,000 








Tieton 










253,000 
17,000 


Total 






928, 000 
261,000 




Cascade County... 


Next season hold over. 








Pass S. S. Dam... 




20,000 













Total 

Kittitas 










667,000 

142,000 
210, 000 
426,000 
150, 000 




417, 000 

67,000 
48,000 

108, 000 
34,000 

160,000 


667, 000 


1905: 

Keechelus 


130,000 
155, 000 
270,000 


26,000 
104,000 
131,000 


14, 000 
49, 000 


76,000 


Kachess 


Sunnvside 

Wapato 


Clealum 


368, 000 


Naches 




Tieton 















288,000 
17,000 


Total 




261,000 


928, 000 
159,000 


38, 000 


Cascade County... 


Next season hold over. 




PassS. S. Dam 




20,000 










Total 

Kittitas 






Total used 






769,000 

142, 000 
210, 000 
426, 000 
150, 000 




417, 000 

67.000 
48,000 

108,000 
34, 000 

160,000 


769,000 


1906: 

Keechelus 


132, 000 
141,000 
346, 000 


16,000 
64, 000 
79,000 


6,000 


94,000 


Kachess 


Sunnyside 

Wapato 




Clealum 




450,000 


Naches 




Tieton 














333,000 
17,000 


Total 




159,000 


928, 000 
14, 000 




Cascade County... 


Next season hold over. 






PassS. S. Dam 




20,000 










Total 

Kittitas 






Total used 






914, 000 

142,000 
210. 000 
426, 000 
150, 000 




417, 000 

67,000 
48,000 

108, 000 
34, 000 

160,000 


914, 000 


1907: 

Keechelus 


220, 000 
209, 000 
527, 000 


1,000 
6,000 
7,000 


79,000 

5,000 

108, 000 


98,000 


Kachess 


Wapato 




Clealum 


360, 000 


Naches 


Tieton 














320, 000 
17,000 


Total 




14, 000 


928, 000 
113, 000 


192, 000 


Cascade County . . . 


Next season hold over. 




Pass S. S. Dam 




20,000 










Total 

Kittitas 




Total used 






815, 000 

142,000 
210, 000 
426, 000 
150, 000 




417, 000 

67,000 
48, 000 

108. 000 
34. 000 

160,000 


815,000 


1908: 


170, 000 
188, 000 
447,000 


11,000 
45,000 
57,000 


39,000 
23,000 
78,000 


66,000 


Kachess 


Wapato 




Clealum 


258,000 


Naches 


Tieton 














240, 000 
17,000 


Total 




113, 000 


928, 000 
327, 000 


140, 000 


Cascade County 


Next season hold over. 




Pass S. S. Dam... 




20,000 










Total 

Kittitas 






Total used 






601,000 

142, 000 
210, 000 
426, 000 
150, 000 




417, 000 

67. 000 
48.000 

108, 000 
34.000 

160,000 


601,000 
77,000 


1909: 

Keechelus 


120, 000 
146, 000 
307, 000 


33,000 
131,000 
163,000 


11,000 
67.000. 
44, 000 


Kachess 


Sunnvside 




Clealum 


Wapato 


361,000 


Naches 


Tieton 














293,000 
17,000 


Total.. 




327,000 


928.000 
160, 000 


122, 000 


Cascade County. . . 


Next season hold over. 




Pass S. S. Dam... 




20,000 










Total 

Kittitas 






Total used 






768,000 

142. 000 
210, 000 
426,000 
150, 000 




417, 000 

67,000 
48,000 

108, 000 
34.000 

160,000 


768,000 


1910: 

Keechelus 


227,000 
228,000 
590. 000 


16, 000 
64,000 
80,000 


101,000 

82,000 

244, 000 


102,000 


Kachess 


Wapato 




Clealum 


416,000 


Naches 


Tieton 














360,000 
17,000 


Total 




160, 000 


928, 000 
13,000 


427, 000 


Cascade County. . . 


Nextseason hold over. 




Pass S. S. Dam... 




20,000 










Total 






Total used 






915, 000 




417,000 


915,000 











72573— H. Doc. 1262. 61-3- 



-13 



\ 



194 FUND FOE RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 

Appendix No. 2 to Section XXV. 

M'ALLISTER MEADOWS RESERVOIR SITE. 

1. The McAllister Meadows Storage Reservoir site was visited by a committee 
of the board on August 30, 1910. 

2. This reservoir site is located on the headwaters of the Tieton River. At 
the present time there is no water stored in this locality, the site consisting of 
meadow land which it is proposed to flood by the construction of a high dam 
in the Tieton River, backing water up into the North and South Forks. It is 
expected that a spillway can be placed in a low portion of the rim of this reser- 
voir, now occupied by Milk River, a small stream flowing into the Tieton. This 
site, however, has not been explored, and the construction of a spillway may 
involve many engineering difficulties, increasing the cost above what is now 
estimated. If the present plans are carried out, McAllister Meadows will be 
developed into the fourth reservoir, in point of size, in the Yakima project. 

3. The dam site is in a narrow gorge of the Tieton River, where the width is 
not over 300 yards between the high rock headlands on both sides of the canyon, 
furnishing what appears to be excellent abutments for dam construction. Bor- 
ings have been made in the dam site and drifts have been dug to develop the 
underlying material. It appears from these, as far as now completed, that the 
rock faces of the canyon on either side continue at about the present slope to 
great depths. The intervening space across the bottom of the canyon is filled 
with bowlders, broken rocks, and disintegrated material. Some borings as deep 
as 80 feet were made without striking any more solid material. 

4. As this site is impracticable for a masonry dam, some sort of earth or 
rock fill dam will be necessary. This construction, and the estimates of the 
Reclamation Service have been based upon a structure of this type, is con- 
tingent on adequate spillway facilities, as no overflow can be permitted to take 
place over a dam of the character suggested. 

5. This estimate the committee believes to be somewhat low, and it may be 
desirable to revise these figures after further examinations are made of the 
possible spillway sites. 

6. The capacity of the McAllister Meadows Reservoir is to be 115,000 acre- 
feet. The maximum height of proposed dam is 150 feet, length on crest 900 
feet, and the estimated cubical contents about 450,000 cubic yards. 



Appendix No. 3 to Section XXV. 

BUMPING LAKE RESERVOIR. 

1. Bumping Lake is located in Washington, about 46 miles from Naches, the 
nearest railway point. The object of this reservoir is to store the flood waters 
of the lake for use in the Yakima project. It was visited on August 30 and 
81 by a committee of the board. 

2. The capacity of the reservoir is 34,000 acre-feet and the variation of water 
level 35 feet. The work consists in the construction of a dam across the 
Bumping River about one-half of a mile below the lake, the spillway, and the 
discharge conduit and accessories. At the time of the inspection the work was 
approximately 75 per cent completed and it is proposed to finish it this season. 

3. The dam is of the earth-fill type, 45 feet in total height and 3,500 feet in 
length. The width on top is 20 feet. The side slopes are 3 to 1 on the reservoir 
side and 2 to 1 on the downstream side. This latter slope flattens out to 4 to 1 
near the toe. In plan the dam is slightly curved to follow the high ground and 
reduce the embankment. 

4. The materials for the fill are excavated from a borrow pit by steam shovel, 
loaded on small dump cars and hauled by horses on a railway to the dam site. 
The line from the borrow pit branches at the end of the dam into two lines, 
one of which follows each slope of the dam. The cars are dumped toward 
the center of the dam, forming two parallel embankments. The fine material is 
then washed down toward the center by water from pressure nozzles, thus 
forming a sluice-fill core, leaving the heavier gravel and bowlders to form the 
outside portions of the dam. The tracks are shifted as the dam rises and 
the core thus becomes progressively thinner and the proper slope is given to 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 195 

the faces. The reservoir face is being paved with a 2-foot layer of bowlders 
of more or less rounded shape and of varying sizes. These bowlders are ob- 
tained in part by selection of the larger ones exposed in sluicing down the finer 
materials, but mainly from the spillway excavation. The subsoil is gravel, 
bowlders, and volcanic earth in varying proportions. Undisturbed it seema 
fairly compact, but is thought to be somewhat porous. The earthy part is 
easily eroded when exposed to water currents. Originally it was the inten- 
tion to put in a core wall of puddle, but on account of the difficulty in obtain- 
ing suitable materials, the sluicing method was adopted. In addition to the 
excavation for the core wall, all vegetable matter was removed from the site 
of the dam. The right abutment is the natural soil stripped as above described. 
The left abutment of the dam forms part of the spillway. 

5. While it was designed to have the sluice-fill core throughout the whole 
length of dam, owing to failure of water supply last year a portion of the dam 
was constructed without a sluice core. This portion, however, lies near the 
right end and forms the part of the dam with least height. The material as 
a whole is not of the best for the purpose. The earthy part, being volcanic ash, 
is very fine, while the remainder, forming only a small proportion, is composed 
of more or less rounded bowlders, none of which are very small. The water 
tightness of the dam depends entirely on the sluice-filled core. The embank- 
ments may be expected to wash more or less badly from rains and melting 
snows, where not protected. Drift and ice may also damage the interior slope. 
On account of the lightness of the material, seepage and erosion must be care- 
fully watched and a protecting covering on crest and downstream slope may 

be necessary. 

6. The outlet is through a concrete conduit under the dam near its center. It 
is controlled by four gates, two of which are emergency and two for regular 
operation. The maximum capacity of the outlet works is 1,000 cubic feet per 
second, while the normal discharge is to be 400 cubic-feet per second. The 
gates are operated by hand and are set in a concrete gate tower surmounted by 
a wooden gatehouse, connected with dam crest by small foot bridge. The open- 
ing given by each gate is 5 feet square. 

7. The spillway is 235 feet clear length, and is designed to pass 6,000 second- 
feet with a crest depth of 4 feet. The cross section shows a vertical back 
and ogee front face, the fall being 6 feet. The fore bay is paved for some 
distance, and is level with the crest of the spillway, which is 10 feet below the 
crest of the dam. The abutments are of the buttressed reenforced concrete 
type. The walls are carried downstream to join the concrete lining of the dis- 
charge channel. This channel narrows to 42 feet width, where it joins a wooden 
flume 115 feet long discharging into the river. The bed of the river where the 
water falls will be protected by large bowlders. The flume as designed is of 
very heavy construction and is to be supported by three sets of piers, three piers 
in each set. 

8. The concrete of the gate tower seems excellent in every way, but that of 
the spillway is poor. Both were made from the same brand of cement. The 
proportions used were 1, 2\, and 4^ of cement, sand, and gravel. The paving 
of the spillway floor showed effects of spring water coming up from beneath, 
and much of the floor is to be relaid. 

9. The total estimated cost is $525,000. 



Appendix to Section XXVI. 

SHOSHONE PROJECT. 

WATER SUPPLY. 

1. The water supply for the Shoshone irrigation project, Wyoming, is derived 
from the Shoshone River, the flood discharge being regulated by the Shoshone 
Reservoir which, as now completed, has a capacity of 456,570 acre-feet. 

2. The drainage basin above the reservoir contains approximately 1,250 square 
miles. The rainfall records at one point in the basin are available for a period 
of 20 years, and show an average precipitation of 18.8 inches. The precipitation 
on the higher portions of the drainage basin is probably much larger. 



196 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 



3. Gaugings of the discharge of the Shoshone River have been made at differ- 
ent periods and at different places, but the only continuous series of readings 
was made at Cody during the years 1903 to 1909, inclusive, and the results are 
shown in the following table: 

Discharge. 

Acre-feet. 

1903 975,100 

1904 1, 305, 100 

1905 977,500 

1900 1, 0G4, 700 

3907 1, 596, 500 

1903 1, 202, 600 

1909 1, 413, 300 

Average 1, 219, 000 

4. An examination of the hydrographs shows the following average percentage 
of discharge during each month of the year: 



Per cent. 
January 2 

February 1 

March 2 

April 4 

May 15 

June 29 



Per cent. 
July 27 

August 9 

September 4 

October 3 

November 2 

December 2 



5. It will be noted from the above that the period of maximum discharge 
closely coincides with the period of maximum use, so that the storage provided 
makes available for irrigation purposes practically the entire discharge of the 
river, except during the periods of abnormally high run-off. 

6. Experience during the past three years indicates that an average of 2 acre- 
feet per acre per annum at the farm will be sufficient and probably more than is 
necessary for the best results. Allowing a loss of 33 per cent for seepage and 
evaporation in canals and reservoirs, a gross quantity of 3 acre-feet per annum 
will be required. The project contemplates the irrigation of approximately 
164,000 acres, consequently 492,000 acre-feet, as measured in the reservoir, will 
be required. 

7. Prior rights. — The State engineer of Wyoming, under date of October 1, 
1910, prepared a statement showing all appropriations of water, ditches, and 
enlargements from the Shoshone River, and from this statement the following 
table has been prepared : 



- 


Above reservoir. 


Below reservoir. 


Total area 
appropri- 


Appropriations. 


Completed. 


Time. 


Completed. 


Time. 


ated for 
which wa- 
ter must be 
supplied. 


1. To May 22, 1899 


Acres. 

2,192 


Acres. 


Acres. 
24,711 


Acres. 


Acres. 
24,711 


2. Permit 2111, Cody & Salisbury, U. S. 
Reclamation Service 




65,803 
13, 112 


65,803 


3. From May 22, 1899, to Mar. 5, 1904 

4. Reservoir permit No. 492, res. Mar. 5, 

1904 


1,746 


125,789 
U59,500 


15,909 


154, 810 


5. Permit No. 1189, enl. Mar. 29, 1904 






30, 745 
8,159 


30.745 


6. Permit No. 1191, enl 








8,159 


7. From Mav 2, 1904, to Sept. 7, 1905 

8. Permit No. 751, enl 


80 


303 
i 456, 570 


103 


406 




2 59,415 












Total 


4,018 


126,029 


40,723 


117,819 


344,049 







i Acre-feet. 

' Filings of U. S. Reclamation Service secondary permit No. 10138 and supplemental permits under 
No. 492 resolution and No. 751. res. enl. Irrigates 59,415 additional acres, making approximately a total of 
164,000 acres to be irrigated by the U. S. Reclamation Service. 



FUND FOR RECLAMATION OF ARID LANDS. 197 

8. The first item represents filings which antedate all rights of the United 
States; second, a filing acquired by the United States; third, filings between 
the date of the Cody-Salisbury filing and the first reservoir permit; fourth, 
fifth, and eighth represent permits for the storage of water and for enlarge- 
ments from time to time, while the sixth represents a filing acquired from the 
Willwood Irrigation Co. 

9. From this table it appears that the full development of the project to a 
total of 164,000 acres can only be made if water in sufficient quantity is assured 
for 344,000 acres, though a large percentage of private prior rights can not be 
fully availed of without resort to storage either in conjunction with the United 
States or separately. Even assuming all prior rights to be perfected, it is 
found that there will be a sufficient supply of water for the project. Three 
hundred and forty-four thousand acres at 3 acre-feet per acre aggregate 1,032,000 
acre-feet. This is only 57,000 acre-feet more than the minimum discharge of 
the river during the last seven years, and can readily be cared for by carrying 
over" this, or even a greater amount, in years of maximum discharge. 

10. This statement, also, takes no account of waste water or return seepage. 
Out of 164,000 acres of irrigable land on the Shoshone project, 100,000 acres 
will drain toward the Shoshone River and discharge into it above where the 
several canals take out, so that this return water will be available for use. 
The amount of this return water is indefinite, but it is believed that it will be 
sufficient to insure against a shortage should the run-off in future be less than 
that heretofore measured. 

o 



IE 10 



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